Weasleys to the Rescue?
by ferggirl99
Summary: About Charlie and Bill, the OTHER Weasleys... Best friends Nancy and Jenni hopefully still work at the Daily Prophet, even as they get drawn deeper into the world of everyone's favorite redheads. Set between GoF/OOtP. Author's note: Ch. 24 up! 5/4/10
1. Quidditch in Romania

Jenni sighed. Another bloody assignment for the Daily Prophet. Quidditch again. Why was she always stuck with something so boring? At least she wasn't alone. Her best friend Nancy had been stuck with this assignment as well. She surveyed the streets as she reached for the quill in her bag. Jenni was only 5'2" with brown hair that hung just past her shoulders and shimmered auburn in the sunlight. It was rather straight, and today like on most other days, it was pulled up into a ponytail. Her clear blue eyes traveled up and down the streets for any place to sit and rest. It was hot, and her pale skin didn't take long to burn, never mind freckle, she thought ruefully as she rubbed the back of her neck.  
  
Behind her, a slightly smaller girl with chestnut brown hair that fell in loose curls to her small shoulders stepped out into the sun. Her light brown eyes were hidden behind rather large glasses and she winced as she glanced up.  
  
"Damn sunny out today, Jenni, maybe we should just wait. . ."  
  
She looked over at her friend, knowing that she hated mornings as much as anyone. Putting on a wheedling smile, she tucked her quill behind her ear and said with a wink, "Not a single person has been able to understand our Romanian anyway. Come on. We could just go back upstairs and say we never found anyone."  
  
Jenni glared at her. They had a job to do.  
  
"Sleeeeeeeeeepy. . . you're getting very. . ."  
  
"Nancy. . . don't you sta. . ." Jenni paused to yawn mid sentence. "Don't even start with me. You know we won't get anything done if we quit now."  
  
Nancy made a silly face at her and then shrugged. "Fine, I'm up. . . I'm dressed," she glanced down, "in these FABULOUS brown robes. Gee, look at me, I'm a brownie!" Her giggles were contagious, and the girls missed their first opportunity of the morning when an older man in dark red robes crossed to the other side of the street, all the while giving them strange looks.  
  
Jenni tried hard to control her giggles, and began to scan the streets again.  
  
"So, Nancy. What exactly was our assignment? Quidditch in Romania?"  
  
Nancy shrugged. "I have no idea. You got called first."  
  
Jenni glared, "Do you even know the name of the Romanian Quidditch team?"  
  
Nancy glared back at her, offended at the insult to her intelligence before she stuttered, "N-nn-no." Before Jenni could celebrate her victory, though, Nancy shot back, "Do you?"  
  
Jenni looked over helplessly at Nancy. "Nope."  
  
The two girls stared at each other in amazement. They'd come all the way out here with absolutely no idea what they were supposed to be doing aside from Quidditch and Romania. Suddenly, Jenni grabbed Nancy by the arm, "Come on! I got an idea!"  
  
Nancy wailed in protest, "OW! Jenni! That hurts! Where are you taking me?"  
  
Jenni pointed across the street, "To get a paper." She grinned at Nancy, impressed by her own ingenuity.  
  
As Jenni reached for a paper, the man at the booth began to yell harshly at her. Jenni and Nancy looked at each other with shocked expressions.  
  
Wincing at the rising tone of the man's voice, a though occurred to Nancy, who nudged her, "I think he wants money."  
  
"Hey!" Jenni protested loudly as Nancy began to rummage through her bag and produce several coins that seemed to shut the man up.  
  
"I didn't bring any money. And besides, you always have spare change in the bottom of your bags."  
  
Jenni rolled her eyes. No matter what she did, Jenni could never stay mad at Nancy. She stuck her tongue out at her best friend before scanning the newspaper for anything that might help.  
  
Nancy's mind wandered, distracted as Jenni tried to find some correlation between English and Romanian. Well, one thing you can say about Romania, she thought, it sure has distinctive clouds. She stared up at the fast moving one on the horizon, wondering vaguely why it was going against the wind. It was glinting rather oddly, too, now that she looked a little closer. She blinked, and squinted into the sun, cursing the reflection on her glasses as she realized she'd lost sight of it. With a shrug, she turned back to Jenni, who was squealing delightedly.  
  
"Ah HA! This. . . THIS word has GOT to mean Quidditch!" She pointed to something on the second page. Nancy leaned in.  
  
"Ugh. That's not even the same ALPHABET. I think they use the Russian one in this region or something. . ."  
  
"Oh. Really? You sure? I thought it was just smudged," Jenni's face reddened and she snatched the paper back. "Little miss dated a linguist for three years. . . how come YOU'RE not reading this?" she muttered under her breath. 


	2. Tall, red headed and annoying?

A/N - This is my first posting on fanfiction.net, so I'm still getting used to the way things work! I'm writing this with a friend. . . a bit of personal gratification for both of us, you might say. ;) So it's all for fun, but please feel free to leave any comments, especially on accuracy in terms of HP land! I hope you enjoy!  
  
  
  
Nancy reddened but didn't respond. Jenni knew perfectly well that she'd been trying to get over that muggle linguist for years, she thought with a yawn, no need to start a whole conversation about him. Besides, she only remembered bits and pieces of language stuff. Shooting a nervous look towards the newspaperman, who was now gesticulating angrily at some very tall red headed wizard dressed in rather flashy muggle clothes, she muttered to Jenni, "You think we gave him enough money?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sure we did." Jenni sighed in exasperation at Nancy's worried voice. "He's probably just angry at us because we look like tourists."  
  
Jenni glanced up; she'd made it to the fourth page, and still had not made any headway into discovering the name of the team. She followed Nancy's finger across the street to the newsstand, and met a pair of narrowed, startling light blue eyes. Quickly looking away, Jenni thrust the newspaper up in front of her face, feeling oddly embarrassed.  
  
Nancy didn't notice the moment, and was still watching him curiously. "Huh, long red hair, doesn't LOOK Romanian. With those clothes, he wouldn't look out of place in New York! Ooooh, Jenni, he's coming over here. Maybe we finally found someone who speaks some English!" Reaching over to tap her friend on the shoulder, she found the paper in the way.  
  
"Jenni? What on earth are you doing behind. . ."  
  
"SHH! Nancy, you can't go off talking to some strange guy from who knows where." Jenni was speaking in a rather hushed whisper. "I mean, what if he's a serial killer or something?"  
  
Nancy giggled at Jenni's ridiculous accusations. "A serial killer? Have you been reading horror stories again?"  
  
"From out of town are we, ladies?" A smooth low voice neatly interrupted Nancy's question, and she turned to the stranger with a relieved smile. Jenni stayed hidden, staring below the paper at the two large boots that were standing not three feet away from her.  
  
"Yes, yes we are, and quite unprepared as it turns out." Nancy stuck out her hand, "Nancy Gwin, with the Daily Prophet." She noticed his demeanor change slightly when she said that, and wondered at it. He made no move to introduce himself. Shrugging, she continued.  
  
Jenni, meanwhile, was trying to get a good look at the man without catching his rather disturbing eyes again. He was very tall, of that she was sure, because she could see the top of his head over her newspaper. She could also see that his hair was at least slightly longer than normal, making her wrinkle her nose. What was it with guys trying to be cool these days, she thought grumpily, long hair made her think of Snape. Although, he did have red hair. Jenni had a thing for red hair and her lips twitched upward in a semi smile. Lowering the paper slightly she inadvertently gasped when she saw the dangerous looking earring he sported.  
  
Both Nancy and the stranger turned to look at her, and blushing, she pulled the paper up so that neither one could see her face. Nancy rolled her eyes and said, "This is my colleague Jennifer," she winced at the glare that Jenni shot her, even though Jenni hated it, she'd never gotten used to introducing people by their nicknames. " . . .Ferguson. She's been trying to find some references to the Quidditch team in the local paper."  
  
The stranger began to laugh. Jenni dropped the paper, revealing her red face and flashing blue eyes, and with a slightly annoyed voice asked, "And just what is so amusing?"  
  
"Well, nothing really. But maybe," the stranger took the paper and turned it around, "it might help to read it this way." He winked at the two of them, still grinning. He eyed the one holding the paper, Jennifer was it?, noticing that she had a slightly round face and her eyes were a striking blue color.  
  
Jenni glared furiously at the man as Nancy looked over Jenni's shoulder. "Hey, thanks! That does help. Look Jenni!"  
  
Nancy had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at her best friend's expression. How had they never noticed that it was upside down?  
  
Jenni flipped the paper back up to hide her face. Why did he insist on staring at her? Hopefully he would get the hint and go away. Something about him just simply unnerved her. Jenni began to scan the paper with renewed interest again when the stranger interrupted.  
  
"By the way," he offered his hand. "My name is Bill Weasley."  
  
Nancy immediately shook his hand. Jenni, however, only glared harder. "Why are you still here?"  
  
"I thought maybe, you might need help reading the paper?"  
  
Nancy recognized that look in Jenni's eye. This was NOT going well, and Jenni was prepared to take this Bill down a notch or two at any cost. Stepping back to be out of the line of fire if hexes started flying (Jenni was one of the more dangerous angry people she'd ever met, too much imagination) Nancy shivered as a cloud blocked the sun. She glanced up, and was surprised to see that the odd glittery cloud she'd noticed earlier was very large now, and throwing one heck of a shadow. She slanted a look back at the two and crossed her fingers, hoping for rain. THAT would break this up fast enough. And then, maybe she could go get some sleep.  
  
"Just because you were so quick to point out that the paper was upside down, does not mean I want your help. In fact," Jenni continued rather loudly, "I can manage just fine without your help."  
  
Bill was caught off guard. Apparently he had somehow gotten off on the wrong foot. "I only meant. . . I mean. . . my brother works here so I know a little bit of the language."  
  
Jenni threw the paper down into the street. "No. You meant we were helpless girls who didn't know the first thing about being in a foreign country. And you just assumed we wanted some long haired, self centered, egotistical punk who thinks highly of himself to come and point out the fact that we were reading the paper upside down."  
  
Bill began to grin again. He was becoming rather amused at her quick temper. And he rather liked the way the anger made her eyes appear even more blue than normal. He leaned casually against a street pole. "Are you done yet?"  
  
Jenni advanced threateningly on Bill, "No, I am not done yet."  
  
If Jenni realized she stood no chance at all at 5'2 against the towering 6 foot something red head, she didn't let it show.  
  
Picking up the paper that Jenni had thrown to the ground, Nancy looked around for the nearest trash can. This wasn't much use to them anyhow, seeing as the closest they'd come to figuring out the language was turning the paper right side up, and Jenni seemed intent on alienating the only English speaker they'd met thus far. The only thing she saw was across the street, right by the glaring newsman. With a shrug, she started over, and was about halfway there when an earsplitting "Rooooooooooooooowr" froze her in her tracks.  
  
Jenni and Bill both stopped glaring at each other and looked for the source of the sound. They found it, just as Nancy realized her "cloud" was bearing down on her, and had teeth, wings and fire breath. It was very close, and its eyes were oddly mesmerizing, the deepest of blacks with a red flame dancing in their pupils.  
  
Jenni screamed. There was a dragon headed straight for her best friend, and Nancy seemed to have forgotten the old mantra of "run first look later" they'd worked out in school.  
  
"Nancy!" Jenni's first instinct was to run straight for her friend. She was oblivious to the mass of people running the opposite way. Her only thought was to get to Nancy before that dragon did. Dead set on grabbing her by her hair and dragging her to safety, Jenni was furious when she was lifted straight off her feet by Bill Weasley. She pushed furiously against the strong arms that were pulling her away from her friend. "Let me go! Nancy! DRAGON!" Jenni could only scream helplessly as her best friend came to life and tried to run out of harms way.  
  
Nancy was thinking with fascination that she'd never even seen a dragon, let alone one's eyes, when Jenni's scream jolted her back into reality. "DRAGON!" Suddenly realizing the amount of danger she was in, Nancy dashed to the opposite side of the street, and made herself curl up into a protective ball as the dragon crashed headlong into the pavement.  
  
Bill knew that he had no chance of reaching the brown-eyed one, Nancy, before the dragon. Looking behind the huge beast, he saw an entire crew of dragon handlers on their brooms. His eyes widened as he remembered something Charlie had told him about dragons. They didn't fly low. This dragon would only be coming down because they'd stupefied it to the point where it could barely fly. It was going to make quite a crash site. Grabbing the tiny brunette around the waist, he ignored her screamed protests and flying fists. He could at least protect one of them. With a grunt he lifted her into his arms, surprised at how small she really was, and slammed them both up against the wall. He heard the impact of dragon on road and tensed, protecting her with his much larger body as the cobblestones began to fly through the air.  
  
Jenni was well aware of Bill's arms wrapped around her as debris flew everywhere. She winced slightly as she felt rocks hitting them and wondered anxiously if Nancy was okay. She shuddered fearfully, and felt his arms, strong and muscular, tighten around her instinctively. 


	3. Ol Blue Eyes to the rescue

OK! A/N this is the first part of the big dragon scene!!! YAY! Ummm, we're trying to shift back and forth between Nancy and Jenni, let me know if it's too confusing. I hope everyone likes! Happy reading and post up what you think!  
  
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Jenni was unable to move. Fear, horror, and grief all struck her at once rooting her feet to the ground. She stared at the large beast that lay in the exact same place that Nancy had only been standing in moments before. Jenni gasped and finally gained control of her senses. Unaware of the dangerous threat the dragon still posed, she headed towards the place she had last seen her friend.  
  
"Where are you going?" Jenni was whirled around as hands grabbed her and pulled her back. She spun around to face Bill.  
  
"My friend is out there. I'm going to see if she's okay."  
  
Bill ran a hand through his long hair, utterly perplexed at the girl's obvious insanity.  
  
"Have you gone mad? That dragon is still breathing. It could lash out at any minute and swallow you in one bite."  
  
Any normal person would have been utterly terrified at the angry expression on Bill's face that caused his blue eyes to go from clear to icy within seconds. Jenni however only retaliated with an equal amount of anger.  
  
"I'm not about to stay here and do nothing. I'm going to make sure Nancy is all right."  
  
Bill snorted, "And just what are you going to do? Are you going to waltz right up and say 'excuse me Mr. Dragon, but did you happen to eat my friend?'"  
  
"Aaaaaaargh!" Jenni screamed in frustration. "You have got to be the most annoying, pig-headed, stubborn..."  
  
"Look, you can call me names all you like, but you're not going out there." Bill grabbed Jenni's arm to pull her away from the dragon beginning to stir.  
  
"You have no right to tell me what to do!" Jenni tried to jerk her arm away but to no avail.  
  
"You know what? You're right. I can't tell you what to do, but I can bloody well make you stay." Bill's grip tightened on her arm causing Jenni to wince. However, his tightened grip only increased her anger more. Without stopping to think of the consequences of her actions, Jenni pulled out her wand with her free hand.  
  
"If you don't let go of me right now, I swear, I'll hex you into next week."  
  
Bill sighed. Why was she being so damn complicated? Bill had no time to contemplate the reasoning behind the girl's way of thinking for at that moment, the dragon began to thrash around, the tail whipping madly about. Jenni's only particular thought at that moment was of her friend. Things weren't looking very good as the dragon's tail caused a tremendous amount of damage.  
  
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Nancy felt the crash and the immediate spray of dirt and rock that shot out from the dragon's landing. It was so close, she could swear that if she reached out her arm, she would be able to touch it. Not that she did. Nope, her head was carefully tucked away under her arms and between her knees, old reflexes trained into her during life in Tornado Alley as a kid. The rock bits hit her hard and she pulled in tighter, just hoping it all stopped soon.  
  
"MI?CA-TE! MI?CA-TE!"  
  
A man's voice cut through her panic, and she nearly raised her head, before another flying rock caught her in the arm. Damn, I wish I'd bothered to look up some Romanian now, she thought ironically.  
  
"Bloody hell. DON'T YOU SPEAK ROMANIAN? MOVE!!! MI?CA-TE!!!!" The man's voice, though harsh with shouting slipped into a recognizable British accented English. THAT got Nancy's attention. Uncurling, finally, she was just in time to jump out of the way of a rather large chunk of falling cobblestone. The dragon, down but not defeated, was flailing every which way and kicking up all sorts of dangerous debris.  
  
"Finally!" The man's voice penetrated her frightened brain once again, before going off in what sounded like a tirade in Romanian. She looked up, searching for its source with growing irritation.  
  
"If you BLOODY well want to HELP me, the first thing you'd better do is to stick to blasted ENGLISH!" Nancy shouted to the sky, although it was almost totally hidden behind a cloud of dust. There was no reply. Scowling at the unhelpful voice from above, Nancy decided she'd better try moving out of this area. She headed to her right, slowly and carefully, keeping an eye out for flying stone, and wishing she could clean her glasses off.  
  
Still no answer from her British voice-o-god. Nancy was starting to move more quickly when the dragon thrashed, rolling towards her, and running into a large lamppost, which accordingly started tilting in a rather scary manner. The groaning metal would only last so long with a dragon lying on top of it, she realized with a start. Preparing to run past it, she stopped short when she saw those two black eyes, red in the center, staring at her from further up the sidewalk.  
  
The moderately tall, solidly built man who was at that moment directing a team of 15 dragon handlers was pulled out of his concentration when he heard a female voice responding IN ENGLISH to his Romanian orders to the group to hurry and get this one under control. The Hungarian Horntail was particularly cranky, since they'd had to take her eggs away from her for health reasons, and she wasn't responding correctly to their carefully placed hexes. He was turning his broom to go and scan for the small female he'd seen crouching just feet away when the dragon first hit, when one of his crew shouted a warning.  
  
"BLOODY HELL!" He steered his broom into a fast dive, racing just inches ahead of the lethal tail that was whipping about angrily. As he penetrated the rising cloud of dust that the ornery dragon had set into motion with her thrashing, a small figure caught his eye. The girl! And she was walking right towards the oncoming tail!  
  
"Ok. Running TOWARDS the dragon's mouth is NOT such a good plan, Nancy. . ." she started to back up slowly. "HEY! MISTER VOICE FROM THE HEAVENS! A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE USEFUL HERE!" Nancy yelled loudly as she hurriedly walked backwards in the other direction. Maybe she could get around the creature from the back end.  
  
Despite the seriousness of the situation, the young man's mouth quirked appreciatively as he sped towards her. 'Mister voice from the heavens?' Not only was she British, but she was plucky to boot. Tensing himself for the extra weight and the balance shift of the broom, he reached his arm out as he came flying up behind her. "Steady on!"  
  
Nancy nearly jumped out of her skin, and she whirled around, her dust glazed glasses allowing her to see not only the blur of red hair and broomstick, but the large swishing weapon of a tail that was headed straight for them. Stunned, for a moment the only thing her brain would do was to try to count the excessive number of spikes that were coming straight towards her head. She had just managed to think the words "move" and "now" when the man reached her, and wrapping his iron band of an arm around her waist, lifted her off the ground.  
  
All of the air rushed out of her lungs with the impact, and she clung to his very muscular arm for dear life, not even letting go to grab for her glasses as they spiraled off to the ground. Great, I get to be rescued and now it's going to be all blurry, Nancy thought on a sigh. Squinting up at her rescuer, she yelled, "Where we going?"  
  
He didn't even look down, his entire body was focused on making the broom go as high as it could as fast as it could with a double load. "UP."  
  
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"Nancy, please be okay." Jenni whispered brokenly, forgetting Bill's presence for a moment. As he heard her plea for her friend's well being, his grip on her arm relaxed.  
  
"I'm sure she got out of the way in time." Bill's voice had softened considerably and there was no condescension evident in it. This did nothing to relieve Jenni of her anger. As she turned to face Bill head on, the anger in her face was outlined by worry. That worry was reflected in her eyes as she fought to keep tears from falling.  
  
"Don't you dare try to tell me that everything is fine." Her voice was rather shaky. "I don't need you feeling sorry for me."  
  
"Feel sorry for you?" Bill gaped. He had been trying to be nice. Now here she was going on about him feeling sorry for her. "You think I feel sorry for you? I was trying to tell you that I'm sure your friend is okay. In case you haven't noticed, there are several dragon handlers involved. Someone was bound to see her and get her out safely."  
  
"Of course I noticed." Jenni was absolutely furious now. "Just because I don't know enough Romanian to be able to tell if the paper is upside down does not mean I'm not observant."  
  
"Yes well, observant or not, you are not going any further. That dragon is rather hacked off about something and I'll not have you going head to head with that Hungarian Horntail to save your friend." Bill repositioned his hand around Jenni's arm, intent on dragging her back to the wall that he had slammed her against earlier.  
  
Jenni struggled against his grip. "Let go of me."  
  
"Or what? You'll hex me into next week was it? I'll have you know," Bill whipped out his wand with his free hand, "I know my fair share of hexes as well."  
  
Jenni stared. She had naturally assumed he was a muggle. However, she was not going to argue with him as he led her at wand point back to safety away from harm. The presence of the wand however did not stop her from glaring at Bill.  
  
Bill turned away, aware of Jenni's eyes on him. He grinned slightly, she had a temper very much like his youngest sibling. He surveyed the surroundings and the various dragon handlers trying to control the situation. He noticed a familiar red head zip past on a broom and waved, shrugging when he didn't get a response.  
  
"Who were you waving at?" Jenni eyed Bill suspiciously. She really didn't like him. Especially when he looked at her like he was doing now. Looking as if he could see exactly what it was she was thinking.  
  
"My brother Charlie. He works here, with dragons." Bill turned to see a different expression on her face. A look of, what was it, recognition maybe?  
  
"Charlie Weasley? Your brother is Charlie Weasley?" For the first time that day Jenni smiled. Bill noticed her eyes light up when she smiled.  
  
"Yeah, you know him?" He turned to face her with an amused expression on his face.  
  
"I went to Hogwarts with Charlie. He won the house cup for Gryffindor when I was a fourth year. Fabulous Quidditch player."  
  
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"Up, he says! Even I, with absolutely no ability to see my hand in front of my FACE could have told me that." Nancy tried to make the ground come into focus so she could gauge how high they were now. It seemed perfectly safe at this point, she was sure they were over the roof line and how could the dragon possibly be a threat from all the way down there?  
  
Forgetting that she was in a rather precarious position, hanging in midair with only his strong arm keeping her from plummeting right back down to earth, Nancy twisted, trying to get a look at his face. But, with the blurriness of it and the shadow that came from the sun being behind him, all she could see was red hair. The broom slowed abruptly, and his other arm shot down to hold her still. "Don't move just yet, kid," he said shortly. Acutely aware of his tight grip on her, Nancy scowled up at him when she heard him tag that on. "Kid? I beg your pardon, but I happen to be a woman with a career and. . ."  
  
She saw him turn his head and mutter something that sounded suspiciously like, "Bloody Snape's Balls!" Twisting her own head in an effort to see what was going on, all she could make out was a fast moving dark blur. Her savior, however, had perfectly good eyesight, and had quickly readjusted her, resting her chin on his thigh and tightening his grip even more. Nancy wondered for a moment, as they took off at a high speed, whether he was deliberately trying to keep her from speaking. In the next moment, however, she heard a loud WHOOSH and felt a tug and a stinging in the vicinity of her left leg.  
  
Shaking it to free herself from whatever she'd caught onto, Nancy heard her robe tear before the extra weight fell away. Since she was now turned towards her British dragon man, she was able to put a hand on his leg to get his attention. She felt his muscles tense underneath her hand and pulled it back, suddenly nervous, to cling to his rock-hard arm.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Gee, friendly, aren't we?"  
  
"I'm rather busy, in case you haven't noticed. And I'm supposed to be HELPING those people down there, not escorting you around." His rather dismissive remark was softened by the charming grin that spread across his face when he looked down at her. Such big brown eyes, he thought to himself, and so very expressive. Right now they were looking distinctly uncomfortable despite busily shooting daggers at him.  
  
Nancy was caught suddenly by the bluest gaze she'd ever seen. His eyes weren't black or brown, as she'd earlier thought, they were a deep dark blue, almost unreadable. In an attempt not to fall into their mesmerizing depths, she swept her gaze over the rest of his face, feeling his smile tug at something deep within her as her befuddled mind tried to make sense of his words and respond in kind.  
  
"The dragon people?" Great. That was bloody brilliant, Nancy, show off that Hogwarts education. Flushing with embarrassment, she turned away so she couldn't see him mock her. Glancing down below her (who was it that said you should never look down?) Nancy gasped when she was unable to distinguish dragon from road from building. They must be awfully high.  
  
"Are we flying to the moon, then?" she asked a bit nervously.  
  
Charlie looked at her sharply; that was the first hint of uncertainty he'd heard in her voice thus far. Peering down himself, he saw that they were just level with the village clock tower.  
  
"Not hardly, I'm just trying to get us above that clock over there. See?" He pointed to the distant spire. Nancy squinted. She saw absolutely nothing. Seeing that he was waiting for a response, she muttered sarcastically, "Yeah, sure, if I half close the left eye, and completely close the right one, I see a little smudge in that direction. But it could just be an eyelash."  
  
Those gorgeous blue eyes stared at her blankly. "You can't see. . ."  
  
"Nope. I'm absolutely useless without my nice big glasses. EVERYthing goes blurry. See the ground? I can't. That thing that I snagged on a minute ago? No clue what it was. And your fabled clock tower? In my eyes it is part of the vast blue I call affectionately, the SKY." Nancy was always nervous without her glasses, as her vision really was awful. She could hear herself rambling on about all the things that she wasn't seeing right now, and winced, betting Ol' Blue Eyes didn't appreciate the chatter. 


	4. Hexes and Aerial Acrobatics

Dedications - to our bumpers! Old friends and new...  
  
Jenni - Hi FIVE! It's going great and just as much fun as we thought!!  
  
Ronsspawn - OUR FIRST REVIEW! He he he... you might have to fight Jenni for him, but he does have a bad boy appeal.  
  
Louisa!! Thanks so much for bumping - oh, I meant REVIEWING. ;) Luv ya.  
  
Kame - I couldn't agree with you more. Mmmm, Weasleys. :)  
  
A/N - part two of the bit with the dragon. This is so much fun to write! I'm really glad people are enjoying it...  
  
STORY AHEAD  
  
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"I went to Hogwarts with Charlie. He won the house cup for Gryffindor when I was a fourth year. Fabulous Quidditch player."  
  
"You played Quidditch?" Bill asked. Finally! A civilized conversation. This was much better, he thought.  
  
"No, I tend to be rather uncoordinated in sports. But," Jenni flashed a dazzling smile, "I can yell insults at an unfair foul with the best of them." She looked over Bill. Now she could see the resemblance. She had always thought Charlie was rather good looking while at Hogwarts, and her endless chatter about him playing for Gryffindor had gotten Quidditch happy Nancy quite in awe of him as well. He had the same red hair as Charlie, or rather vice versa as Bill was the older one, and they both had blue eyes. Jenni's stomach did a strange sort of flip. It was bad enough he had red hair, but red hair and blue eyes? If she didn't dislike him so much, she might find him attractive.  
  
Hell, what was she thinking? He was attractive, and stubborn, and rude, and he looked really nice when he smiled.  
  
"So you're an avid fan. I can appreciate that." Bill thought he could appreciate a lot more than that if she'd only give him half the chance. She was a challenge, and Bill enjoyed a good challenge. Especially since most of the girls he met fell over him immediately. This was a change, a rather nice change. Realizing he had been staring at her, he searched for something to say to break the silence. "So, what else did you enjoy at Hogwarts? I mean obviously you didn't study any foreign languages."  
  
Jenni glared. Why was everything a joke with him? Was she destined to be reminded of her embarrassing moment forever? "I'll have you know, I was prefect my fifth year, head girl my seventh year, and top of my class every time. Just because I don't speak Romanian is not a reason to start acting like a prat." Jenni felt the blood rising to her face in an angry flush.  
  
Bill stifled a laugh. Obviously that was the wrong thing to say but he really enjoyed the way she looked when she was mad. "Look, I'm sorry. I was only."  
  
"Yes, I know. You were only poking fun at me by referencing the fact that I had the paper wrong. Once again, you were being an insufferable git." Jenni caught the twinkle in his eye. He was enjoying this. He was intentionally trying to get her mad.  
  
"Me? Insufferable?" Bill pretended to be insulted. "I was only asking a simple question. I'm just curious to know what Hogwarts was like in your day. That's all."  
  
Jenni resolved not to let him get to her, however charming he thought he was being. "Well, if you really want to know." Jenni chanced a glance at Bill who had crossed his arms and leaned up against the wall waiting for her to continue. "My first three years were quite boring. I spent all my time studying. I was either in the library or in the common room surrounded by books. It wasn't until my fifth year that things changed."  
  
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Ol' Blue Eyes was grinning. This girl was amazing. She'd lost most of her vision, was suspended in mid-air about one hundred feet off the ground, and was trusting him completely! It was enough to go to a man's head. His smile faded a bit when suddenly his sharp eyes spotted something small and black bee-lining it for them.  
  
Nancy saw it too. To her it was only a blurry dot, but the way he'd tensed up she guessed it was important.  
  
"What is it?" she asked softly, wincing as he tossed a small piece of rock straight at the blur.  
  
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the creature hare off in the other direction. The rock would have thrown its sonar off. He looked down at the girl he'd been holding for the last few minutes, and scanned her entire body carefully, explaining, "Vampire Bat. They're usually quite docile around these parts, unless they smell fresh blood." Ah HA. There it was - a rather large tear in the bottom of her brown robe. "You must be bleeding. Come on, we'd better close that up."  
  
Nancy stared at him. Bleeding? VAMPIRE Bats? She fought the urge to giggle, mainly because he looked like he might object and she didn't really want to fight with the man suspending her who knows how high in mid air. So, she seized on the next easiest thing to question.  
  
"Come where, if I might ask?" She shot him a sarcastic look. "Do you have a whole bloody hospital up there or something?"  
  
"Or something." He grinned devilishly. "Harder stunts have been tried on a broomstick." His wink made Nancy bite her lip to restrain the urge to blush.  
  
"Yeah, but who are you to try them on me?" She steered the conversation triumphantly in a safer direction, trying to ignore the way he was gently lifting her up to sit with him, his large strong hands covering most of her ribcage. "I mean. . ." fighting for her composure, Nancy tried for an example. "Fixing up my leg while hovering above a village? I'd only trust that to someone the likes of Viktor Krum, or. . . or Charlie Weasley. Now THEY can do whatever they want as they fly."  
  
He froze. What had she just said? Charlie searched her brown eyes for some spark of mockery or recognition. There was none, just admiration. She had just put him on par with one of the premier Quidditch players of the decade. And, she'd given him an open invitation, albeit unknowingly, to...  
  
His hands tightened around her waist and he set her down rather hard in front of him. The sudden motion made the broom wobble violently, and Nancy grabbed instinctively onto his broad shoulders until it stopped. He seemed unnerved, she thought worriedly. Perhaps he knew one of them and resented the comparison. Nancy hurried to make amends.  
  
"You all right there, Champ?" He had the oddest expression on his face. She hoped he wasn't feeling ill, because there was no way she'd get this broom back down safely without her glasses.  
  
"You ever seen him. them play?" Charlie looked at her with a silly smile, wondering what kind of crazy rumors about the Bulgarian Seeker and himself the pretty young lady had been fed.  
  
"Oh." She flushed. "Well, no. . . not exactly. See, I read about Krum's games all the time at work, and Charlie won the Hogwarts Quidditch cup the year before I came. Every Gryffindor told me stories, and my best friend Jenni, she was just a few years below him. . ." She trailed off suddenly, paling. JENNI! How could she have forgotten? Her friend was probably worried SICK right now.  
  
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Bill looked at her questioningly, "Changed?"  
  
"My best friend Nancy, the one you met earlier today, started Hogwarts my fifth year. I spent my remaining years watching out for her, trying to keep her out of trouble, and learning how to talk myself out of some pretty sketchy situations. Mind you, I'd give my arms and legs for that girl, but she does have a knack for getting into tight spots."  
  
Jenni stopped suddenly and looked around to where her friend had last been spotted and sighed heavily, letting her shoulders drop with a sinking feeling in her stomach.  
  
Bill had walked up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. Jenni was suddenly aware that he no longer had a grip on her arms and his hand sent an electric jolt through her. "I meant what I said earlier."  
  
Jenni turned to look at him, was that concern in his eyes? "What are you talking about?" She asked uncertainly.  
  
"Your friend, Nancy. I'm sure she's ok." Bill winced at the worry in her face. She looked so vulnerable, so unlike the fiery tempered girl he had been having words with only moments before.  
  
Jenni looked down, noticing she was twirling her wand in a nervous manner. How was it that someone so infuriating could be so sincere at the same time. She shrugged his hand away from her shoulder. She didn't want his sympathy. She kept her back to him as the tears threatened to spill from her eyes once more. 'I will not cry in front of that arrogant prat' she thought as she marched off towards the rubble and destruction across the street wiping furiously at her eyes.  
  
Bill stood there gaping at Jenni's retreating form. Now where did she think she was going? He rushed forward and grabbed her by her shoulders spinning her around to face him. "What are you doing? I thought we went over this. There's a dragon out there."  
  
"I'm tired of standing against a wall, trying to make nice conversation with you. I'm going to find Nancy." Jenni turned to walk away.  
  
Bill gripped her shoulders tighter, keeping her from turning away from him. "You are not going out there. It's dangerous. My brother works with these animals for a living. I could tell you stories that would give you nightmares about these creatures."  
  
"I don't give a damn about that dragon..." Jenni yelled.  
  
"Well that's bloody obvious." Bill retorted back, yelling just as loud. "The only thing you're worried about is marching off full speed to get yourself killed. A lot of good that would do your friend."  
  
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Without stopping to think, Nancy grabbed the broom with one hand and leaned hard, needing to find Jenni so that they could each be sure the other was fine. The broom, however, didn't respond to her touch, as Charlie had noticed her motion and countered it to keep them hovering steadily. This resulted in Nancy leaning hard to the side, and everything else staying put.  
  
She was going to fall! The thought flashed through her head for a split second as air rushed up to meet her, just before those two strong arms wrapped themselves around her and hauled her back up to him.  
  
Charlie could feel her heart racing, and he stared down at her soft wavy hair. Forget amazing or plucky, the girl was insane! "What in the bloody BLAZES did you think you were doing?"  
  
"Oh YOU wouldn't understand!" Nancy hung her head, embarrassed to have been so literally CAUGHT making such a foolish move. Still, she had the sneaking suspicion that she would be willing to do it again, if only because he'd pulled her into his arms like this.  
  
She flinched when her rescuer made a sound which closely resembled a growl, and didn't resist as he pulled her in closer and brought her left leg up onto the broom. When he spoke his voice was calmer, almost amused, Nancy realized with an annoyed start. Was he laughing at her?  
  
"No." Charlie grunted at her with the hint of a smile playing on his lips. He ripped off a bit of her robe to tie around her scrape and continued, "you're probably right. I don't generally spend my time trying to fall hundreds of feet to my death." He felt her wiggle to accommodate her odd position, and realized just how close he was holding her in order to keep her leg propped up. Odd, he was feeling damn warm, and he knew for a fact that is had been chilly when they were chasing after the Horntail. He'd really been up here a while, he thought a bit desperately.  
  
"I wasn't TRYING to..." Nancy brought her head up to explain and saw stars for a moment as it crashed into his chin. When her head cleared, she set about trying to remember when she'd gotten THAT close to him.  
  
Charlie rotated his jaw, trying to ignore the irony of the fact that the girl he was holding had a VERY hard head. He started to work faster on her leg, not really concentrating on what his hands were doing as much as trying to finish so that he could get a little space between them. It was really hard to think straight with her this close, and from the little stunt she'd just pulled with the broom, it was obvious he needed to keep his wits about him right now.  
  
"OW! What are you DOING over there?" Nancy glared at his hands helplessly, knowing that he couldn't see her nasty look. Her leg had started throbbing; the numbness that had kept her from noticing the gash was fading. He made one final knot and immediately repositioned her on the broom. Nancy almost gasped when he lifted her to turn and face him. It unnerved her, how small he made her feel. It's not like she wasn't used to being 5'1" and the smallest around, but she didn't usually feel so... so darn DAINTY.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Bill strode forward, intent on keeping Jenni from running out into the street and getting hurt just as her anger hit an all time high. Realizing she still held her wand in her hand she whirled on him and yelled the first spell that came to her mind. Bill was moving quickly towards her when her jelly-legs jinx hit him. He reached out in surprise as his legs gave way, grabbing hold of the only thing within arms reach. Unfortunately that something, or rather someone, was Jenni. She lost her footing under the momentum of his weight, unable to support herself, much less Bill as he fell forward. The end result was Jenni flat on the ground with Bill's face only inches away as he landed smack on top of her. Her hands (her wand was still clutched in her left hand) she noticed were clutching his shirt, in a futile attempt to stop herself from falling.  
  
"Are you all right?" Bill spoke barely above a whisper.  
  
"Yes, I'm fine." As the shock wore off, Jenni's sarcasm moved into high gear. "I'm on the ground, unable to breath because you landing on me knocked my wind out, and I've got a splitting pain in my head thanks to this nice soft cobblestone road. I'm just PEACHY! Now geroffmee!" Not to mention your face is only inches from mine, and if you don't move now, I'll just get lost in those eyes, she thought nervously.  
  
"Well I would, but seeing as how I don't have much control over my legs, that's not quite as easy as it sounds." Not that I really want to move just yet. Bill grinned inwardly.  
  
With a growl, Jenni pushed hard, shoving Bill off of her and taking a few deep calming breaths. He rolled to the side. As she sat up, deliberately ignoring him, she gingerly touched the back of her head, which had just gotten up close and personal with the street. She had a growing knot, and one heck of a headache, but other than that she was fine. She glared as Bill groaned. The hex would be wearing off anytime, and getting the feeling back into your legs was painful, she knew.  
  
"Is your head all right?" He glared at Jenni as he sat up. Never in all his life had he met someone that could anger him so much. Granted his brothers came close at times, but she was definitely one of a kind.  
  
"I told you I'm fine." Jenni stood up still rubbing the sore spot on her head.  
  
Bill stood up next to her testing out his legs. "Good, now that we've established that fact. Expelliarmus!"  
  
Jenni stood in shocked silence as her wand landed effortlessly in Bill's hand.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
"There, you're not going to get us swarmed by bats, now we'll work on you NOT jumping off of the broom and making me exercise my diving skills." Those blue eyes were dark with... something, Nancy couldn't quite tell what. She immediately rose to her own defense.  
  
"I TOLD you already, I wasn't jumping! I was simply trying to steer the... er... YOUR broom," oh dear, this didn't sound right, did it. There was a grin on his face. Why was he always grinning? She was trying to explain her plan to steal his broom!  
  
Charlie couldn't restrain his amusement as he watched the emotions run across her face. This girl would be wretched at poker. He'd have to keep that in mind for later, he thought a bit naughtily. Catching himself, Charlie groaned. Later? He'd known this girl all of a few minutes, had had to keep her from doing any number of insane things in that small time, and he was contemplating a LATER? Well, he just needed to...  
  
"My best friend is down there! Jenni! I told you, the one who was in school with Charlie Weasley!" Nancy decided to just tell him, since she really had no way down but through his decision. "She was arguing her head off with some guy named Bill when I went to throw away the newspaper..."  
  
"WHO!?" Charlie's familial instinct kicked in. He knew that Bill's hotel was around here somewhere, but had just assumed that he'd have seen his brother if he'd been around.  
  
"Bill... oh, I can't remember the last name. Long red hair, a bit darker than yours, dressed all in Muggle clothes, and... oh he had a very odd earring." She noticed that he was looking at her with more than normal concern for two strangers that he'd never met. "What? Is something wrong?" Nancy gasped at his continued silence. "He IS a serial killer? Oh no... I never thought, it's just a thing Jenni has..."  
  
Charlie was sorting through his memory of the dragon's fall to earth. The whole team had noticed this small girl in the center of the street who'd managed to evade being crushed by a matter of seconds. But no one had mentioned seeing anyone else hanging around. There was nothing for it, he'd have to go make sure that his brother was ok. He hooked an arm around his still talking cargo and began a slow descent just as she decided that this Bill must be a serial killer after all.  
  
"No, he's not a serial killer." He sighed as he dragged her a bit closer to him, again. Distracting it might be, but he just couldn't dive with her dangling so far out on the broom.  
  
"He... he's not?" The relief in her voice made him burst out laughing. It didn't help that those sweetly concerned brown eyes were presently glaring at him in confusion. 


	5. Kiss the Boy

A/N - YAY! The last part of the dragon bit.  
  
LOUISA!! Our faithful reviewer. HUGGLES!  
  
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"No, he's not a serial killer." He sighed as he dragged her a bit closer to him, again. Distracting it might be, but he just couldn't dive with her dangling so far out on the broom.  
  
"He... he's not?" The relief in her voice made him burst out laughing. It didn't help that those sweetly concerned brown eyes were presently glaring at him in confusion.  
  
"He's my brother." Charlie's seeker trained eyes swept over the street as he got lower, ignoring her squeak of surprise. It was hard to see anything through that infernal cloud of dust, but he could go ask... he glanced at his armful suddenly, feeling her tense. She was staring hard at the ground, and if he wasn't mistaken, was trying to slip down off of the broom. Tightening his grip on her, he gauged the distance to the ground. There was still a good thirty feet to fall if she jumped now, he estimated. "Going somewhere?"  
  
Nancy tried to make sure her breathing stayed normal as his grip tightened and made physical contact with his very muscular body impossible to avoid. A moment ago, she'd been so lost in the smoky blue depths of his eyes that she'd actually forgotten to let the air out of her lungs. She knew her reaction - to tense up and try to get some space between them - was overdoing it, as there was really nowhere to go. Not yet at least. She jumped as his deep voice murmured amusedly right into her ear, "Going somewhere?"  
  
"No..." Dammit. I sound all breathless and... oooh, DAINTY again, she thought with frustration, her face flushing to match his hair. Trying to pull herself back under control, she closed her eyes and brought up Jenni's face in her mind, hoping that it would help her calm down. Instead, she almost choked when she saw her mind's-eye Jenni WINK at her!  
  
Charlie was low enough now to scan for Bill and this friend of hers, but he didn't yet, too arrested by the tension emanating off of the girl's body, and that breathy answer she'd just given him. I have GOT to put this girl down somewhere, before I forget how to fly all together he thought rather desperately. Glancing down at her flushed face, he couldn't restrain a grin. At least he wasn't the only one suffering here.  
  
Suddenly, he yanked up on the broomstick with all of his might. Nancy's eyes flew open, and she yelped as she felt her feet collide with the ground for a moment before he was able to stabilize them about four feet up.  
  
"Oh good, we're here." Nancy started to disentangle herself from his grasp. The linguist had NEVER made her blush like this, she thought ruefully. Air was definitely needed right now.  
  
Charlie could tell she was trying to get off the broom, but as he took a few deep breaths and got some blood back into his brain, he wasn't too sure that he should let her. The dragon, he noticed, while keeping a restraining arm around her waist, was still awake even if it was calmer. And if her friend HAPPENED to be standing anywhere which would require her to run past it...  
  
Nancy's blush was deepening. She had managed to get both legs over one side of the broom, and would have jumped immediately, except for the very firm arm that remained locked around her. As it was, she just sort of slid halfway off and dangled helplessly in midair. She glared up at the muscle- bound gorilla - well, to be fair, she thought, the muscle-bound gorilla with beautiful blue eyes and the nicest smile. Not much of an insult.  
  
"Hey! What are you..." She was suddenly hauled back onto the broom, and tucked neatly against his chest, her head just under his chin.  
  
Charlie had made his decision. There was no way she'd stay out of harm's way if he just let her down. "It's still, er, a bit dangerous down there," he started off diplomatically, adding in his head 'at least for YOU it is.' "I'm going to put you somewhere while I go find Bill and your friend." He glanced around, trying to ignore her indignant struggles, and his eyes fell on the roof of one of the houses lining the street. It was a bit less slanted than the others near it...  
  
Before Nancy had a chance to catch her breath, he had flown them up to it, and she was lifted out of her sheltered position, and plopped onto a roof. She jumped up, utterly confused, and winced a bit when her left leg throbbed in protest.  
  
"What!?! Where are you going? A ROOF??"  
  
Charlie pulled back a little, so she wasn't tempted to make a leap for the broomstick, and grinned at her.  
  
"Well, I can't have you running off to make friends with the Horntail, can I?" With a wink he turned his broom around, and tossed a laughing, "I'll be right back!" over his shoulder.  
  
Nancy whipped out her wand and tossed a rather nasty hex after him. Well, she was pretty sure that blur was him. It might've been a rather distant tree... but at any rate, whatever it was would be sprouting purple hair from their ears and nose for a few days.  
  
Charlie heard the hex coming and ducked, letting it whiz past his head. He glanced back. She was standing on the roof, wand out, squinting after him with a seriously annoyed look on her face. He chuckled, wondering just what it was she'd tried to do to him. He did feel a bit bad about leaving her there, but he just wasn't able to concentrate with her sitting so close. This way he'd find the two missing people in no time, and double back for her once he was sure it was safe.  
  
Nancy was abso-bloody-lutely furious. Well, she supposed, stopping to consider for a moment, not really. That was more something Jenni would be. But she was really annoyed at being left behind, and on a ROOF! Nancy hated being left behind. People always doubted her ability to be of use in tough situations, just because she had the tendency to jump first and look later. She paced back and forth on the roof. Jenni had never thought so. She'd seen right away that Nancy just suffered from over-enthusiasm, and when entrusted with something important would perform perfectly well. It was just, there hadn't been much to DO outside of classes, and so my innate curiosity usually got the better of me, Nancy thought indignantly.  
  
She glared out at the blurry street. Obviously HE did not understand. Well, she'd just have to take care of things herself, then. First thing's first... it would be nice to be able to SEE again.  
  
"Accio glasses!"  
  
She waited for a moment, listening, and then a small metallic object flew past her head and landed on the roof. As she turned to pick it up, she felt something slide by her leg, and heard a light bump as it came to a stop near the edge of the roof.  
  
"Figures," she muttered in frustration, slowly feeling her way down towards the slightly raised lip that directed the rainwater to a pipe further down the wall. Her left foot caught it first, and the jarring stop reminded her that her leg was really rather achy. Ok, now to find those glasses, she thought.  
  
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Bill was grinning as he pocketed Jenni's wand. However, his smile faded as soon as he saw the look on her face. Anger he could have dealt with. But this, this was totally unexpected. She was standing there staring at him, her eyes red rimmed and wet. The look in her eyes was like nothing he had ever seen before - it went straight to his gut, and he found himself feeling guilty, feeling that he had caused her tears.  
  
Jenni stared at him. This was just what she needed. She blinked fast trying to stop the tears, but to no avail. Everything she felt - her confusion, anger, and the worry over her best friend all spilled out, running hot and wet down her face. As she began to sob uncontrollably, she turned and ran, not wanting to stand there any longer with Bill just watching her. She was vaguely aware of footsteps behind her and a voice calling her name. Jenni kept running. She didn't want to face anyone right now.  
  
Bill finally caught up with her, slightly out of breath. Damn she was a fast runner. He grabbed her arm, bringing her to a stop and gently turned her to face him. Jenni put her head in her hands, crying harder. Bill moved her hands and lifted her chin so he could see her face. "I'm sorry." He spoke gently. "I didn't mean to upset you so much."  
  
Jenni looked into his blue eyes, tears streaming down her face. "It's not you." She said brokenly. "I just... I'm worried." She didn't know why, but she felt the need to explain. "I've never been very good at controlling my emotions. And I don't know where Nancy is, or if she's okay for that matter." Jenni felt more sobs coming on and turned away as she fought against the urge to cry.  
  
Bill put his hands on Jenni's shoulders to keep her from walking away from him yet again. He didn't know why, but seeing her like this stirred something inside of him. He didn't like the lost look in her eyes or the fact that she felt helpless to do anything about her friend. "Listen, as soon as all this clears up, I'll help you go look for Nancy."  
  
Jenni looked up. She couldn't believe her ears. She wanted to hug him, but restrained herself. "You would do that?" she asked with a watery smile.  
  
Bill smiled. It wasn't the same arrogant smile he had flashed when she first met him. In fact, it was a sincere smile, and it made Jenni's knees feel extremely weak. Especially when he finally spoke. It was in such a low voice, almost a whisper. "Of course I would."  
  
Jenni was just about to ask Bill why he was being so nice to her, when all of a sudden she felt really strange. For some odd reason, everything was spinning and she felt very lightheaded. Jenni reached a hand out to steady herself as she felt her legs give way. She could hazily see Bill's face contorted with worry. She needed to sit down. What happened next, she didn't know. Everything went black.  
  
Bill stared as Jenni's face lost all of its color. He felt her sway slightly and gripped her tighter as he watched her. As her hands clutched his arms for support, he realized she was going to pass out. His arms went around her instinctively as she started falling to the ground.  
  
Bill knelt, settling the limp girl in his lap. He put a hand to her forehead to wipe her hair away from her eyes. "Come on Jenni," he pleaded softly. "Wake up." He lifted her slightly, allowing her head to rest just under his chin.  
  
A bit panicked, he looked for signs of injury but couldn't see anything obvious. Then he remembered - she had hexed him. They fell... and she hit her head. He ran his hand gently over the back of her head and found a rather large bump. Bill thought fast; he needed something to bring the swelling down. He conjured up an ice pack and gently applied it to the swollen area on the back of Jenni's head. He felt her stir slightly. His heart was racing. Thank goodness she was ok.  
  
Jenni slowly came to her senses. The first thing she noticed was something cold on the back of her head. She reached a hand to see what it was. What she found was a large warm hand, connected to a rather familiar arm. She opened her eyes then, her hand still resting on the arm. She looked up and met Bill's worried blue eyes. His hand moved away from the back of her head towards her face, dropping the ice pack.  
  
Light with the relief that had flooded through him the moment Jenni opened her eyes and looked at him, he ran his hand gently down her cheek. His thumb wiped away the last wetness left by her tears, and as he watched her eyes drifted closed again on a sigh. Without stopping to think, Bill leaned forward, drawn toward her slightly parted lips. He forgot everything else as his lips brushed hers. He could feel his heart pounding, and he was having trouble breathing.  
  
Jenni's eyes closed softly as she suddenly felt the world spinning again. This time however, it wasn't because she was about to pass out. He was kissing her! She lost herself in the moment, shivering with the electricity of that first gentle touch, and gasping as he deepened the kiss.  
  
Bill tensed as Jenni kissed him back. He was aware of her fingertips against his arm, burning like fire. Her lips were soft, and sweet. Intoxicating. He was reminded of his first taste of wine. The way it left a sweet taste on your mouth, the way it warmed your insides, and the feeling of wanting more.  
  
Jenni's eyes opened as they slowly pulled apart. She had never been kissed like that before. She stared, waiting for Bill to say something, anything to break the silence. Instead he only stared back at her. Blue eyes locking with blue eyes.  
  
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Charlie was worrying about her as he flew around, darting around buildings and searching for his brother's red head. He kept coming up with reasons that he should NOT have left her on that roof. She'd lost her glasses, and was barely able to see. That was one. She was susceptible to anything that decided to have a go at her. Oh, it wasn't that he didn't think she could handle herself in a fight, but she was vulnerable. And hurt, he reminded himself, picturing the look of pain he'd caught on her face when he'd first set her down. A look that had vanished immediately, but still... something inside him clenched painfully and he urged his broom to go a bit faster.  
  
As he zoomed up on an intersection, his worries were put on hold momentarily by the sound of an argument coming from somewhere to his left. Veering towards it, he grinned in relief when he clearly heard his brother's voice calling out, "Jenni!"  
  
Swooping down towards them, Charlie pulled to a stop suddenly when they came into view. Another small brunette was running down the street, obviously upset, and his absolutely unflappable brother was RUNNING AFTER HER. His jaw dropped. He'd never seen his brother do that - chase after a woman. Usually, they came to him or he didn't need them. A devilish grin started to form on Charlie's boyish face, and leaving the couple to work out their problem, he turned around and headed at full speed back towards his own ultimate distraction who he'd left waiting for him on a rooftop.  
  
Except that, she was no longer, technically ON the roof.  
  
That odd clenching feeling that he'd experienced off and on ever since first pulling her to safety hit him so hard that for a moment, Charlie couldn't breathe. The intensity of the fear that he was feeling was astonishing. And he couldn't even yell out her name, he realized suddenly, because he didn't know it! He settled for a hoarse, "I'm coming!" as he sped back down the street.  
  
Now she'd done it, Nancy thought a bit dejectedly. All she'd been trying to do was grab her glasses! She'd never meant to knock them off the roof completely and then almost follow. And she couldn't imagine how idiotic she would look when he came back, hanging from the edge of the roof like she was. She readjusted her hands and looked around her, squinting hopefully.  
  
Ah HA! With a triumphant grin, she spotted the column into which the water from the roof was poured. It was only a few feet away, and if she could just get to it...  
  
"Going somewhere?"  
  
Charlie's heart rate had slowed somewhat, as he got close enough to establish that she was not screaming for help or crying or trying to fight anything off. She was just hanging there, with a frustrated look on her face. He felt his fear melt away, to be replaced by an outright suspicion of just WHY she was hanging off the edge.  
  
Nancy nearly lost her hold on the roof out of surprise; he was back. And she'd been so close to the darned drainpipe.  
  
"Not exactly, no." She turned her head, trying to figure out where he was.  
  
"Down here," Charlie couldn't hold back a grin, "enjoying the view." He grinned harder when she gasped and looked down, instinctively trying to gather the material of her robes with her legs so that he couldn't see anything. Not that he was ACTUALLY looking, he thought, winking at her and watching her blush deepen. But she was so cute when she turned that shade of pink.  
  
"Well, if you don't mind moving a bit to one side?" Nancy did her best to glare down at him through her blushes. Her arms were starting to ache. "I'm not entirely comfortable with you there."  
  
His blue eyes were dancing, and he kept his grin firmly in place as he hovered directly beneath her.  
  
"Well, you see... I would, but what's in it for me?" he teased laughingly. "How about, you answer a few questions if I do?" Like who you are and where I can find you again...  
  
She sighed. He could see her arms beginning to shake. He wouldn't leave her hanging there too much longer, or she might pull a muscle, but he had a few things he wanted to know first.  
  
"Fine." Knowing that he was so close was actually a bit of a relief, even if he was playing games with her, she was fairly confident that he wouldn't let her hit the ground if she fell.  
  
"We'll start with an easy one... why are you not sitting where I left you?" Charlie flew over just a smidgen to the right, letting her know that he was honoring her request.  
  
"I was just... well, you LEFT me. So I tried to summon my glasses and come up with a plan to..." why did she keep TELLING him these things? Nancy wondered suddenly. Usually she was very able to bend the truth a bit when the times called for it, but every time she looked into his dark blue eyes she had the sudden urge to tell him everything. It was entirely unnerving. "Well, I summoned them, and didn't catch them, and they slid down here..."  
  
"And you followed?" the laughter in his voice put her on the defensive.  
  
"It was an ACCIDENT." She wasn't sure her arms would hold her much longer. Her hands had started to slip and she'd lost feeling in her right arm. The strain of holding herself up made her voice waver a bit as she continued, "I didn't mean to."  
  
Charlie glanced up at her, hearing that catch in her voice. He shouldn't tease her like this, he thought with a sigh.  
  
"Come on, let go now, I've got you." His voice was gentle, and Nancy trustingly released her hold on the edge of the roof. She only fell for a second before he had her safely in his arms.  
  
Charlie hovered there for a moment, massaging her shaking arms as she relaxed into him. How could he have thought she was strong enough to just hang there and play games with him? She was such a tiny little thing... shorter, even than his little sister, Ginny. She just had this infectious confidence, he acknowledged with a smile, which had led him to believe her show of strength.  
  
He needed to revise his evaluation of her as a poker player. She'd be an awfully good bluffer. He'd have to learn to read her before playing.  
  
Nancy opened her eyes after a moment of just enjoying the feel of his hands on her, and found him grinning down at her devilishly. Her stomach did a flip, and she felt the heat returning to her cheeks. She scrambled to sit up, ignoring the shouts of protests from the muscles he'd been relaxing so well just a second ago. Blinking up at him, she suddenly remembered why he'd left her in the first place.  
  
"Did you find them?"  
  
It took a moment for her words to penetrate Charlie's fogged brain. He was somewhere else, shuffling cards, staring into her brown eyes. When she blinked again at him, he realized she was waiting for a response, and answered the only question he could imagine that she'd asked.  
  
"Bill's around the corner, and he's with your friend, Jenni, right?" He watched her reaction, hoping that he'd guessed correctly. Her face lit up and he relaxed.  
  
"Well, let's go!"  
  
"What do you say?"  
  
"NOW!"  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Jenni broke eye contact first as she heard footsteps approaching. Turning her head, her eyes widened when she saw Bill's brother Charlie. Realizing how she and Bill must look, Jenni scrambled up quickly. Bill stood close behind her, one hand around her waist supporting her as if waiting for her to pass out again, the other hand resting on her shoulder.  
  
Jenni gave a small gasp of surprised delight as she noticed another person. Following close behind Charlie was Nancy. Jenni was grateful for Bill's supporting hands when her knees gave way from the immense feeling of relief. Feeling his grip tighten on her shoulder as she suppressed a sob, she instinctively reached up and grabbed his hand. Within seconds, however, she had composed herself and broken away, running towards Nancy and engulfing her in a hug.  
  
Jenni broke into a round of rambling which seemed not to bother Nancy in the least. "Oh thank goodness you're okay. I was so worried about you! Don't you ever go off and do something like that again! You could have been hurt. Do you realize how worried I was?"  
  
Nancy patted Jenni on the back with a smile. She had become used to Jenni worrying over her like a mother hen whenever she had become involved in one of her silly incidents. Not to mention her Quidditch accidents. However, as she shifted uncomfortably on her wounded leg, Jenni went into full hysterical mode. "You've been hurt? Nancy what happened? What have you done to yourself? Here you are going off to who knows where, getting chased by dragons, slicing up your leg, and what if something worse would have happened? How do you expect me to explain something like this to your parents?"  
  
"I'm fine... have you been CRYING Jenni?"  
  
Jenni glared furiously at Nancy. "Of course I've been crying. I've been worried sick about you. Knowing you, you were probably dangling from a roof top somewhere." Jenni's attempt at sarcasm was met with glares from Nancy and a hearty laugh from Charlie.  
  
"And just WHAT is so funny, Charlie Weasley?" Jenni turned from Nancy and advanced on the younger of the brothers.  
  
Bill, standing behind Jenni, saw as the blood drained from Nancy's face. She was staring at his brother as though she'd never seen him before.  
  
With a grin that would make most girls melt, Charlie replied, "Nice to see you again too, Jenni," before paling as he realized what had just happened, and how Nancy had reacted.  
  
"Don't try to pull that charm on me. It won't work." Jenni glared at Charlie, totally oblivious to Nancy's current state of discomfort. Charlie had become quite uncomfortable himself, from Bill's reproving glare as much as the flushed silence of the girl next to him.  
  
He was saved from answering Jenni however as Bill walked over and grabbed her by the arm. "We need to talk for a minute."  
  
Jenni felt a rush of heat as Bill's hand touched her arm. She nodded and walked off after him, uncertain of what he wanted to talk about, and uncertain of her reactions.  
  
Nancy just stood there, silent and red, the laughing words they'd had about Charlie and his abilities running over and over through her mind.  
  
Charlie couldn't bear to meet her eyes; he could practically FEEL the embarrassment radiating off of her. He should've just TOLD her when she'd first brought up his name...  
  
He smiled gratefully at his brother, watching him lead Jenni away so he could have a moment to explain himself. When he looked back at her, she'd turned away from him. He could see that the tips of her ears were red. Charlie cautiously approached her, reaching out to put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She shivered, and muttered, "THE Charlie Weasley... oh god... I'm such a bleeding idiot."  
  
"Listen... I've never had such a pretty fan! How's a guy supposed to know how to react?" His voice was soft and gently teasing, as her turned her back around to face him.  
  
"Hey," he called softly, trying to get her to look at him. "We never did get to introduce ourselves." He swore inwardly as she reddened further, hoping she didn't take this as him rubbing anything in. He smiled gently and stuck out his hand. "Charlie Weasley." His smile widened when she finally glanced up at him, those soft brown eyes all wary and uncertain.  
  
"Nancy Gwin," she whispered, taking his hand. Charlie gaped at her. "THE Nancy Gwin?"  
  
"Er..." she stared at him outright, rather taken aback. "I suppose so, yes."  
  
His deep blue eyes twinkled, "THE Nancy Gwin who was such a good beater for Gryffindor? THE Nancy Gwin whose exploits around school, even as Head Girl, nearly caused Snape to retire and inspired my twin brothers to create the dungbomb?"  
  
"Potions never was my best class," she muttered, red faced. "Had a habit of blowing things up..."  
  
Charlie was grinning at her. So THIS was Nancy Gwin. Interesting. He saw the tentative smile she shot back at him, and melted. That girl's eyes should really be a registered lethal material. He reached out and ran the side of his hand down her cheek.  
  
"I'm sorry, Nancy. Friends?" His roguish wink made her giggle in spite of herself, and she nodded. "Friends."  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
"So, what did you want to talk to me about?" Jenni asked, trying to hide the nervousness from her voice. Why was she suddenly acting like she had never been kissed before? 'Because,' Jenni mumbled to herself, 'no one has ever kissed you like that before, that's why.' She looked up at Bill waiting for his answer and suppressing a grin. He suddenly looked very boyish. He had shoved his hands into his pockets and was looking at the ground with great interest. And, Jenni noticed slightly amused, his ears had begun to turn a brilliant shade of pink.  
  
"Well," Bill started out slowly. "About what happened earlier... I mean..."  
  
Now it was Jenni's turn to blush. "Oh." She responded. She too had put her hands in her pockets when she suddenly realized her wand was gone.  
  
"Where's my wand?" She turned around and looked on the ground, forgetting that Bill had taken it from her earlier. Realization dawned on her as she looked up to see Bill grinning devilishly at her.  
  
"What did you do with my wand?" Jenni yelled at the top of her lungs. The sudden outburst caused several passersby to stop and stare. Jenni, however, gave no notice. She continued yelling at Bill, causing him to back away from her. "If you think for one minute that this is funny, you are dead wrong, mister!"  
  
"I was going to give it back. You.I mean.when I tried." Bill was stuttering hopelessly, an entirely new experience for him.  
  
"You tried? You didn't try hard enough. Or maybe," Jenni had once again become quietly furious with Bill, "just maybe, your mind was on other things."  
  
Bill couldn't deny that. His mind had definitely been on other things.  
  
"Now I know why I gave up dating!" Jenni was on a rampant yelling contest with herself. She turned her back towards Bill still yelling at the top of her lungs. "It's because every guy I've dated has been arrogant, conceited, or acted like a complete prat in one way or another. I should have learned my lesson. But NO! The first guy I meet in Romania turns out to be the worst one of them all!"  
  
Bill had retrieved Jenni's wand from his pocket and reached out a hand to her to give it back. "Jenni, I'm really sorry." He was trying desperately to apologize. She turned around, her blue eyes looking deep into his. She snatched the wand from his hand and pointed it at him. "Don't you dare come near me again."  
  
Bill stopped short as Jenni continued her ranting. When she finally finished yelling, Bill asked her, "Are you done yet? Because if you are, there are a few things I'd like to say to you."  
  
Now it was Jenni's turn to stare in silence while Bill spoke his mind. "First of all, I had to save you from being crushed by a very furious Hungarian Horntail, then, you yell at me about being inconsiderate because I won't let you go off to get killed while you searched for your friend. Secondly, you hex me into losing my balance and making you bang your head on the road. Third you pass out in my arms, and instead of letting you fall on the road once again, I catch you. Then lastly, after all's said and done, you yell at me, call me every name under the sun, and I still offer to help you find Nancy. You don't even have the decency to thank me, and I'M the ungrateful prat?"  
  
Jenni stood with her mouth hanging slightly open, trying to come up with any words at all, just so that Bill wouldn't think he'd gotten the last word. Unable to make any sound besides an annoyed squeak, she stormed over to Nancy and said, "Let's go," totally ignoring the way her friend was looking at Charlie Weasley.  
  
Bill was still fuming when he came over to stand with Charlie and watch the two women make their way back to their hotel, Nancy limping slightly. Charlie spared him a glance, "Little hot under the collar there, aren't you, brother?"  
  
Bill's glare would've sent a weaker man than Charlie running for cover. But Charlie had grown up with him, and knew too many of his embarrassing secrets to ever really take his "oh too cool" attitude seriously.  
  
Suddenly, Charlie blanched. "Shit. I never found out where she..."  
  
"Works?" Bill smirked. "Lives? Got it covered, dragon boy."  
  
The girls had almost reached the door of the hotel, with Jenni sparing a few worried glances at Nancy's leg, when Nancy stopped suddenly. "Oh! I..." she glanced at her best friend and blushed. "I'll be right back."  
  
Jenni stared as her friend hobbled back at a half run towards the two red headed men. Warily, she followed, in case Nancy needed help or something. By the time she was within hearing distance, Nancy had reached the two surprised Weasleys.  
  
Charlie looked up and saw the brown-eyed pixie limping back towards them at a fast pace. His eyes narrowed worriedly. Why was her limping so bad? But in the next moment, he was reaching out to stop her before she plowed right into him and likely fell onto her cute arse.  
  
"Nancy?" She almost lost her nerve, almost simply got lost in those deep blue eyes, before she remembered why she'd come all the way back here.  
  
"I've always wanted to say this to someone," she said softly, a devilish sparkle in her eyes, as she leaned on his arm gratefully. Charlie held his breath, no idea what to expect to come tumbling out of that mouth next.  
  
With a saucy grin, she said rather loudly, "You saved my life! MY HERO!!" Then, Nancy pushed herself up on her tiptoes, and thanking the heavens that her rescuer hadn't been any taller, planted a quick kiss on the astonished Charlie's lips.  
  
Both of them were as red as Charlie's hair, and the man in question seemed frozen in shock for the moment, giving the blushing Nancy the chance to step back and take the arm Jenni offered, heading back toward the hotel.  
  
Bill was staring at his brother, who was just now blinking and had brought a hand to his lips in confusion. A sly grin spread across his face as he turned and caught one last blue glare from the irascible Jenni. Beside him, Charlie was still red, and BIll laughed. "And I thought I had it bad... this is going to be fun." 


	6. Snape's invading my story!

YAY! Chapter six is finally here.  
  
Zoe - this part is totally your fault, but at least you're blond and bootiful. ;)  
  
DeadSEXY - thanks so much for your interest... if I come up with something that I can include you in, I'll let you know!  
  
Louisa!! Always good to see you reading! :)  
  
Karen and Carrie - hi hi hi hi! (Yes, carrie, I'm a bit partial to the big oaf myself...)  
  
A/N - I know that there's not quite as much swooniness as usual... but we're going for PLOT development, here, people. *wink wink*  
  
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Early the next morning, Jenni sat at the table in the hotel room drinking tea. She looked over as Nancy began to wake up. "Someone's up early!" Nancy grinned at her friend. "Thinking of a certain, tall red head are we?"  
  
Jenni glared furiously over her cup of tea. "How are you feeling?" she asked referring to Nancy's leg, deftly changing the subject.  
  
Nancy grinned, "No way are you gonna change the subject that fast! What exactly happened between you two?"  
  
"Nothing." Jenni stood up to walk towards the window. "Absolutely nothing."  
  
Nancy sat up in her bed. "Yeah, that's why he had your wand?"  
  
Jenni turned towards Nancy, "Well what about you and Charlie? Your hero, was it?" She grinned as Nancy turned bright red.  
  
"Well, he did save me. And he had rather strong arms." Nancy winced as she tried to stand up on her wounded leg.  
  
Jenni looked worried, "How are you feeling, really?"  
  
Nancy groaned, "Horrible. My leg is really stiff."  
  
Jenni put her tea down and walked over to her friend. She gasped as she saw Nancy's leg. The scrape was red and oozing a funny colored liquid, and the area around the injury had swollen dramatically overnight. "I think you need to go to the hospital, now," her voice took on a very serious tone.  
  
Nancy didn't dare argue. When Jenni got it in her head that something needed to be done, Nancy learned you might as well do it. In any case she wasn't in any mood to argue. Her leg hurt way too much.  
  
Jenni watched as Nancy limped around the room. She did look rather pale. "Did you want something to eat before we leave?"  
  
Nancy made a face and shook her head. "I don't feel very hungry. Maybe later?"  
  
Jenni sighed, "At least have some tea? You need something."  
  
"Really, it's alright." Nancy continued. "Besides, my stomach feels kind of funny anyway. And if you make one crack about my hero I'll owl Bill and tell him how you've been mooning over him."  
  
"You wouldn't."  
  
Nancy managed a grin, "Wouldn't I?"  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Bill was grinning at his younger brother across the breakfast table. Charlie had a sour look on his face, and was glaring at his tea. It was 7:00 in the morning and he was awake. Bill knew his brother was not a morning person and there had to be a very good reason why he was awake before noon.  
  
"Couldn't sleep?" He asked casually.  
  
Charlie glared. "Yeah, Bill. It's the same reason you couldn't fall asleep until after 4 a.m yourself." Charlie brought his cup to his lips and stopped, smiling suddenly. "However, at least my reason didn't walk off in an angry huff yesterday."  
  
Bill grabbed the closest thing, which happened to be a shoe on the floor and threw it at Charlie.  
  
"Why don't you just go over there and talk to her?" Charlie asked as he ducked the shoe before continuing, "It's obvious you like her."  
  
"Yeah," Bill ran his hand through his hair. "You could say that."  
  
Charlie grinned. "So, what did she do? Fall all over you? Tell you how handsome you were?"  
  
"Believe it or not, no she didn't," Bill retorted as he thought back to yesterday. She was the first girl he'd ever been interested in that hadn't gone out of her way to fawn all over him. In fact, she had done the exact opposite. She had yelled at him, hexed him, called him every name she could think of, and he was still feeling the after effects of her jelly legs jinx. He was grinning broadly, having moved on to remembering the way he felt when he kissed her, when Charlie interrupted him.  
  
"So you gonna go see her or what?"  
  
Bill grinned at Charlie. For once, his brother had a good idea. He tossed Charlie his other shoe. "Yeah, I'm going to see her. And you're coming with me."  
  
The two apparated to the hotel where they had seen the women headed yesterday. Bill stopped just before they approached the entrance. Charlie looked at him with concern, "You ok?"  
  
Bill looked up somewhat nervously. "What if she doesn't want to talk to me?" he muttered, feeling absolutely un-William Weasley-like.  
  
Charlie grinned, "Are you telling me you're scared of a woman? Bill Weasley, what was it you used to always tell me? 'Oh Charlie just go for it. Pour on the Weasley charm and she'll never know what hit her!'"  
  
"You don't understand. She isn't just any girl. I think she's got some sort of immunity to... that kind of stuff."  
  
The look on Bill's face was so uncharacteristically nervous that Charlie had to fight back the laughter. "Come on Bill. You're not backing out on me now." Charlie headed off towards the hotel. He turned around and in his best Quidditch captain voice hollered, "Get a move on Weasley!"  
  
Bill finally snapped out of his daze and followed his brother. At the front desk in the main lobby, the two were trying hard to convince the receptionist in fairly decent Romanian to see the guest registry.  
  
"If you two don't mind, I'm going to ask you to step back from the counter." The receptionist was getting very angry.  
  
"But, I'm telling you, they were here. We saw them yesterday." Charlie was explaining.  
  
"Well, give me their names and I can call them into the lobby for you."  
  
"You can't just give us the room number?" Charlie winked at the lady behind the desk.  
  
"Names?" The glare she sent the younger of the two was enough to rival even McGonagall.  
  
Charlie looked over at Bill and shrugged. "Nancy Gwin."  
  
Bill started grinning, "Not the same Nancy Gwin that Fred and George were always raving about?"  
  
"Yeah, that's the one. Why?" Charlie asked.  
  
"Well, they were always going on about how fabulous she was at Quidditch. And to be friends with."  
  
"I hate to interrupt this nostalgic conversation, but unless the party you're looking for has checked in under another name you're out of luck."  
  
Bill and Charlie both glared at the receptionist. "Try Jenni Ferguson. No.how about Jennifer Ferguson." Bill smiled recalling the look Jenni had flashed Nancy at being introduced with her entire name.  
  
This time it was Charlie's turn to interrupt, "By the way. I went to school with Jenni and I have never once seen her get angry. What did you DO to her?"  
  
"I didn't do anything!" Bill exclaimed. "She, for some odd reason, decided that my sole reason for existing was to be yelled at."  
  
"You didn't do anything?" Charlie looked somewhat bemused. "Somehow, I find that hard to believe."  
  
Bill glared at Charlie. "All I did was try to fix the newspaper she was reading. It was upside down. Her friend thought it was funny."  
  
Charlie nodded back towards the lady behind the counter. "So, what room are they in?" He gave the most devilish grin he could muster while leaning on his arms over the counter.  
  
"There is no one here today by that name." She stared at the two men, her face expressionless.  
  
"What do you mean, no one here by that name? I'm telling you we saw them come in here." Bill's voice had raised a notch.  
  
"I mean, just that. There is no one here by that name." The lady continued to glare. "Now, if you two don't lower your voices, I will call security."  
  
"Imagine that." Charlie replied sarcastically. "Getting kicked out of a hotel for your loud mouth."  
  
"My loud mouth? You were the one trying to hit on the receptionist." Bill retorted.  
  
"Hit on her?" Charlie responded incredulously.  
  
Bill rolled his eyes. "You'll have to excuse my little brother here. What he meant to say is that we just don't understand how it is that a superb establishment such as this one would not be able to keep track of two employees of the Daily Prophet, who were sent down here on assignment. Other than that," Bill grinned at Charlie, "I'm sure Charlie here would love to take you on a date sometime."  
  
Before Charlie could reply the lady answered. "For your information, gentlemen, I am married. I would not go on a date with either of you if I were paid to. And further more, if you would have been so kind as to give me all of the information concerning the party you were looking for, I would have been quite happy to tell you that the employees of the Daily Prophet left only moments ago for vague medical emergency reasons."  
  
The two brothers stared at each other in surprise. This was not what they wanted to hear.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
It had been two weeks since their trip to Romania had ended so abruptly. Nancy was sure of this, because St. Mungo's had given her a trial potion and told her that if it had not cleared up in two weeks, to come back. She had no intention of going back. It was too damn embarrassing to try and explain that she couldn't afford the treatment she knew damn well she needed. She'd spent some time researching her injury on weekends and during lunches.  
  
She knew that Jenni was worried. She kept buying her lunch and trying to get her to take days off. Nancy sighed. She had to come up with a better way to deal with the consequences of the dragon's poison. That last book had been interesting, and she thought that she could brew that elixir herself for a much smaller cost than the hospital would administer it, if she could just find... Shoving this out of her mind for now, she glanced down at her assignment for the day and groaned. The Snape interview.  
  
Across the room, Jenni was watching her best friend with worried eyes. Nancy'd been keeping a secret ever since they'd gotten back from Romania. She'd been sick, too, Jenni was sure of it, despite all of her assurances that the medi-witches had fixed her up those first few days in the hospital. She sighed and looked back down at her desk, catching herself opening the paper to the international section and scanning for pictures with long red hair. Two whole weeks already and he'd never once tried to contact her. Furious with herself for letting her mind drift to the man that incensed her beyond reason, she closed the paper in anger.  
  
She really needed to get her mind off of him. She had told herself after her last boyfriend that she would never allow herself to get hurt by any man ever again. But damned if she didn't find her mind wandering off, thinking about that kiss. Not just once or twice. She thought about it constantly. Jenni felt face getting hot as she remembered the way his eyes had gazed into hers after they broke apart, all warm and... Jenni shook her head to clear her thoughts. Her gaze slipped back over to her wan friend, who was walking nervously toward the bathroom, looking rather green. She knew that Nancy had been crushed not to hear from Charlie.  
  
Jenni herself was furious at the younger Weasley. At least she hadn't really expected to hear from his sneaky older brother, but he'd never given Nancy any indication other than really being interested. No wonder her friend was so crushed. Well, maybe their assignment today would cheer her up. Making the infamous Potions Professor dish about his personal life. Jenni smirked. This was going to be one interesting day. Jenni made a face as she thought about Snape having a relationship. She couldn't help but feel sorry for whoever this poor lady was that had agreed to marry Snape. Shuddering at the thought, she gathered her quill and parchment to get ready for the upcoming interview.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Pausing in the act of pacing back and forth in the bathroom, Nancy saw that they were due to start in five minutes. 'I have got to pull myself together,' Nancy thought desperately, 'I just have to find that last ingredient and I'll get rid of the nausea...' With a sigh, she cast a temporary stomach settling charm. That would last her for a while, at least. She jumped when Jenni walked into the bathroom.  
  
"You ok?" Nancy winced at the uncertain tone in her friend's voice. She hated keeping stuff from Jenni, and since it was obvious that something was wrong with her, she knew she was hurting her friend by not explaining. Unfortunately, she also had her own share of pride, and wasn't about to put her friend in the position of having to lend her money.  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Snape here?"  
  
"He just came in, and there really IS a woman with him..." Despite everything, Nancy giggled at Jenni's _expression. She noticed that her friend had enough paper for the two of them, and suggested, "Wanna go get started?"  
  
"Are you sure you're..."  
  
"Yeah. Let's go -- last one there has to kiss Snape hello!" Avoiding Jenni's eyes, Nancy dashed out of the bathroom, gritting her teeth to keep a smile on her face every time her left leg hit the floor. When she ducked into the conference room, having beaten not only Jenni but Snape and his fiancee, she pulled her wand out and cast a temporary numbing charm on her leg. As long as she remembered not to stand up, she would be fine during the interview.  
  
  
  
Jenni watched her go, certain that Nancy had either been crying or being sick just before she'd walked in. She took a second to glare in the mirror, catching her own blue eyes. Blue eyes, red hair... STOP right there Ms. Ferguson! she ordered herself silently. 'This is all his fault, him and his stupid brother,' she thought bitterly. 'Nancy used to tell me everything.' Splashing some water on her face, Jenni sighed and followed Nancy's path to the conference room.  
  
As she walked in, she saw an odd picture. Nancy had dozed off while waiting for everyone, still looking pale and tired, but the part that made Jenni stop and stare was the sight of her one-time potions professor NUZZLING a very pretty woman with long blond hair. After a moment of silence in which she had the very uncomfortable experience of catching the black eyes of Severus Snape mid-nibble, Jenni nudged Nancy awake and managed to say weakly, "Professor, Ms. McAuthor, nice of you to... er... join us."  
  
The couple sat up, with the woman flashing a grin in Jenni's direction. She sat down. Hard. And tried to think of SOMETHING to say while trying to erase the memory of Snape necking from her mind. The only thing she could come up with was the memory of another kiss, and she sank into the memory of a certain redhead's lips.  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Nancy glanced up, why was Jenni so quiet? Huh, well, she had plenty of prepared questions. Feeling that she was missing something, Nancy forged ahead, glancing at the fairly pleasant looking woman sitting next to Snape.  
  
"Well, I guess the first question would be, where did you two meet?" and what kind of spell did he use on you? she thought with a slight grin as the woman, Ms. Zoe McAuthor reached over and took Snape's hand with a smile.  
  
"It was at Hogwarts. I came to England when I was about..."  
  
"That is NOT really important, now is it. All they," Snape had interrupted her answer, shooting a glare at the two reporters, "need to know is that you came to England and we met at Hogwarts."  
  
Nancy almost choked. The woman, Zoe, seemed about to laugh but settled for rolling her eyes.  
  
"What he's saying is, I'm just a tad younger than he is and he gets uptight about it."  
  
Fighting valiantly against her baser instincts, Nancy managed to swallow a clever remark about Snape and age and uptight, but only barely. She glanced over at Jenni, who was usually better at dealing with the tough nuts in an interview, but her friend had a vaguely distant look on her face and didn't seem to be paying attention at all. Fine, she could set him straight on the way to conduct an interview.  
  
"Professor, we are trying to write a profile piece. Age is generally included..."  
  
There was silence around the room. Jenni was still spaced out, Zoe McAuthor was biting her lip as she watched Snape who was sending a death glare at Nancy, who was giving as good as she was getting. After a minute, with neither one backing down, Zoe coughed loudly and said quietly, "You were saying?"  
  
Nancy flushed. How entirely unprofessional of her. Well, at least she was responsive, unlike Jenni...  
  
"Well, all right. How about, where are you from originally, Ms. McAuthor? Is that question allowed?" Shooting one last defiant look at the sulking man across the table, Nancy turned her attention to the pretty woman who was voluntarily sitting next to him.  
  
As the woman grinned at her and started answering, Nancy elbowed Jenni hard, trying to shake her out of whatever daze she'd slipped into.  
  
"Another toughie... see, I grew up in the United States, Maryland to be precise. But when I came to England I learned that I'd actually been born here."  
  
Nancy smiled at her, and her grin grew when Jenni leaned over and whispered angrily, "What was that for? That HURT you know..."  
  
Ignoring her muttered complaint, Nancy followed through on Zoe's last answer. "Wow, Maryland? That's quite a ways from here, how did you wind up there if you were born in England?"  
  
"Well, that's a bit complicated..." the woman grinned slightly, and launched into a description of discovering that her parents were not actually her parents, owl messages from Dumbledore, and was just describing how she had first experienced her magical powers, when Snape finally could no longer contain himself.  
  
"Where, EXACTLY, are you taking this?" he asked Nancy with a tight voice. Then, before she could answer him, he turned to glare at Jenni saying, "and is she even PARTICIPATING in this interview?"  
  
"So tell us about the wedding then. You two must be pretty excited." "We were just getting the story of the lovely lady sitting next to you, Professor."  
  
Jenni and Nancy looked at each other as their answers collided, and Jenni realized with a sinking feeling that she'd already missed most of the interview. Damn Snape and his greasiness, she thought angrily, reminding me of that other kiss... Shaking herself, she shot an apologetic look at poor Nancy and repeated her question.  
  
"Any specific wedding plans you can tell us about?"  
  
Jenni looked at Snape, and recognized the gathering storm on his face. How many times had she used that look to know when she had to sneak Nancy out of the great hall after one of her many pranks had blown up in his face?  
  
"The wedding is private, personal, and none of your business." Snape's eyes flashed dangerously and he bit out each word. This display of temper, however, didn't appear to help his case at all, as all three women stared at him with varying displays of astonishment and amusement on their faces.  
  
"Professor, the wedding is why we are DOING this interview!" Nancy said carefully, not sure how that rather important point could have slipped by the man when setting up this whole meeting.  
  
"The WEDDING," Zoe McAuthor interjected smoothly, shooting a stern look at her fiancé, "is still in its early planning stages, but I can tell you the basics." When Jenni nodded encouragingly, the blonde woman went on to explain the number of guests (around a hundred) and the general location (somewhere in Scotland).  
  
"What about the honeymoon? Is the Professor going to be able to get away from school?"  
  
Snape reddened slightly and snapped, "Again, I don't see..."  
  
Nancy lost it, she was feeling awful and just wanted to go home and curl up in her bed. Why couldn't the man simply cooperate? "Professor. This will be a very SHORT article if you refuse to answer any of our questions."  
  
Jenni shot a look at her that said to stop while she was still alive. Sitting back in her chair, Nancy flushed when Zoe answered with slightly raised eyebrows. "Well, as to a honeymoon... Severus here is quite the romantic. He wants to surprise me." She winked at him and giggled, causing the two journalists to look at each other in silent shock. The woman across the table continued, "Ms. Gwin, would you mind if I asked YOU a question?"  
  
Nancy shifted nervously in her seat wondering just what Snape's fiancee could possibly have to ask her. "Sure, ask me whatever you want."  
  
Zoe flashed a winning smile, "Did my darling Severus happen to be your teacher at one point?"  
  
Nancy grinned back, catching on. "Yep! Seven years of wonderful me!"  
  
"Zoe darling, no need to get into that. This interview is not about me being a professor..."  
  
Nancy managed to cut Snape off before he finished his sentence, "I think he still resents me blowing up the potions class room. Destroyed half of his ingredients my seventh year." Nancy flashed a smile back at Zoe.  
  
Snape glared furiously, "Shouldn't we be getting back to the topic at hand?"  
  
Jenni, sensing the interview about to go downhill, quickly changed the subject. "So, er, what exactly sparked the interest in your relationship?"  
  
Zoe spoke up, quickly cutting off Snape, "Well look at him! I mean, aside from the fact that he's intelligent, strong, brave, alluring, and a whole lot of other nice things. He's so gorgeous." Ignoring the strained smiles of the two girls, she leaned over to him and planted a lingering kiss on his lips. When she finally pulled back, Nancy and Jenni both managed to not meet Snape's eyes for a moment, as all three tried to compose themselves. He spoke first, as he wasn't fighting a case of the giggles.  
  
"And for my answer, well, I would just say that what my Zoe said applies better to her than to me."  
  
Nancy glanced up at him when he spoke, and saw that he was lost somewhere in Zoe's eyes. She almost felt bad for him, knowing as she did the power of a certain pair of deep blue ones. Jenni, who had stayed focused on the ceiling the entire time, broke the moment by saying, "Well, I think that's enough. I know that you two have somewhere else to be. Thanks for your time, and don't forget to stop by and see our photographer on your way out."  
  
She stood and walked to the door, waiting to show them which way to go.  
  
As Snape and Zoe prepared to leave, Nancy muttered the counterspell to the numbing charm she'd put on her leg and hobbled over to where he was helping his fiancee into her cloak.  
  
"Sir?" She cleared her throat, and Snape whirled around, glaring at her.  
  
"What is it NOW, Gwin, need to know what I prefer for breakfast?"  
  
"Actually, I just have a question, if you could step over here for a minute. Excuse me, Ms. McAuthor."  
  
Snape's face was unreadable, and Nancy could feel her hands shaking as they stepped out of hearing range of the other two women.  
  
"Well, Miss Gwin?"  
  
"I just... where can I get... I need, for a..." she paused, trying to pull her thoughts together. Not meeting his eyes, she whispered, "Do you know where I can get Powdered Dodo Claws?"  
  
Snape's eyes widened. "Unless you are much dimmer than I gave you credit for, you are aware that the dodo has been extinct for at least a hundred years." He paused, scanning the room with a glance, and sending some sort of message to his fiancee, who moved to the door and began talking to Jenni.  
  
"Why in Merlin's gaze do you need them? The only potions which require them are rather old and very temperamental cures for dragon bites."  
  
"Sir, no disrespect, but I just need..."  
  
"Unless you have been studying Potions for the last three years with one of the three wizards who have a better grip on them than I do, Miss Gwin, you are not qualified to even think about any of those potions, never mind make them. Send your unfortunate friend to St. Mungo's where they can get proper treatment."  
  
Nancy blinked. "My friend?"  
  
"I am assuming that someone you know has been bitten and does not wish to be healed through normal channels. That is not only stupid, but dangerous. Now, good day, Miss Gwin." 


	7. Party Time

A/N - umm. What to say. Not much, but we've been looking forward to this part for some time... and, I realized after seeing everyone else's stories that you're supposed to post disclaimers. Well, I do not own Harry Potter. Nancy, Jenni, and anyone else you don't recognize... I don't really OWN them, but close enough. :)  
  
Louisa - Hi again! Zoe - Like I said, that was your moment of glory... that and, maybe someday we'll WRITE that article. ;) Karen - nice to see you reading! LittleWolf - Yay! Someone who I didn't have to shove the link in front of to get them to read it! I'm so glad you're enjoying... keep reviewing and tell us what you think!  
  
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Nancy's head was reeling. Snape wasn't going to help her. She'd been so sure that, with his help, she could take care of this on her own. Suddenly, her stomach rolled, and she knew that her settling charm would be wearing off any moment. She followed Jenni back to their office and glanced down at the stacks of papers and owl messages waiting for her attention. Her stomach lurched again. Looking up, she realized that Jenni was staring at her in concern.  
  
"Listen, I'm... I've got to go home. Something came up," she pointed blindly at one of the owl messages as she shoved her things in her bag, just hoping she made it to her flat before being sick.  
  
"Here's my notes, if you want to try writing today. Sorry, I'll see you Monday, all right?" With that, she tossed her notepad onto Jenni's desk and ran out the door, hoping to make it home before Jenni had time to process what had just happened. She was in such a rush that she didn't notice the tall, lanky red head striding purposefully down the hall past her.  
  
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Jenni sat at her desk in a very worried state, absently fingering the owl note that Nancy had pointed to in her rush to leave. It was nothing important, just a request for one of her articles to be a few hundred words longer. Nothing CLOSE to a reason for running out of the office like she had.  
  
'What is she hiding?' Jenni wondered. Why did her best friend not feel the need to tell her what was going on? Jenni placed her head in her hands. She was near tears; it really hurt that Nancy didn't trust her enough to tell her what was going on. Jenni sighed as she heard a noise at the door to her small cluttered office. She looked up, trying to wipe her eyes discreetly, and gasped. There in the doorway was no one other than Bill Weasley, the one person she had tried to forget these past two weeks.  
  
"Mind if I come in?" The words were spoken before Bill had time to think about what he really wanted to say.  
  
Jenni stared at him trying to summon up some witty, cutting reply. The urge to argue simply was not in her; her mind was filled with worry over other things. Instead she simply nodded towards the empty chair in front of her desk.  
  
As soon as he met her eyes, Bill noticed that the fiery spark was missing from them. "Is everything all right?"  
  
Jenni sighed and choked back a sob, trying to get herself under control. "I'm fine. I've just got a lot on my mind right now. Nancy left early and I don't know why. She's been acting strange for the past two weeks. I have an interview that I've got to set up for the deadline in a few days." She trailed off and looked at Bill, not knowing why she had given in to the sudden urge to tell him everything. "Look, I'm sorry. You didn't come here to be bored with details about my work and nonexistent social life. Why are you here?"  
  
"Well," Bill started carefully, "my family is having a party this weekend, and I was wondering.well.I mean, me and my brother Charlie were wondering."  
  
Before Bill had a chance to finish Jenni went off at him. Bill grinned in amusement at seeing her temper flare up again. It appeared that he'd hit a nerve.  
  
"Your brother! Let me tell you about your brother! First of all, he leads Nancy on, making her think he's interested in her. Second of all, she gets her hopes up about him and he doesn't even send an owl or anything. Thirdly, you think you can just walk in here and invite us to a party and that makes it better?"  
  
Bill leaned forward on Jenni's desk, "Actually, yes. I was hoping that this party would make things all better."  
  
Jenni glared. How dare he have such nerve to think he could waltz into her office and insist that she and Nancy go to this... this... party.  
  
"In fact," Bill continued, his mood lifted at the reactions he was getting from her, "I'm sure Charlie would very much appreciate it if the two of you showed up. That way, he would have a chance to talk to Nancy and explain to her why he hasn't been in contact with her."  
  
Jenni sat back in her chair dumbfounded. Not once had she thought that there might be a logical explanation for Charlie's lack of communication. Finally gaining her composure Jenni leaned forward, unconsciously mimicking Bill's earlier actions. "Well," she grinned suddenly, "just what does your brother have to say for himself?"  
  
Now it was Bill's turn to grin, "That, I believe, is between my brother and your friend."  
  
Jenni smiled, her heart a hundred times lighter than it had been minutes ago. This would be just what Nancy needed to get out of her miserable state.  
  
"You are coming too, aren't you?"  
  
Jenni looked up to see Bill's face suddenly serious. She also realized just how close they were to each other, both leaning over her desk. "I.um.well, I never thought."  
  
Bill reached forward and grabbed Jenni's hand. "I'm not leaving until you say yes. Besides, I really want you to be there."  
  
Jenni felt her stomach flip as Bill's fingers intertwined with hers. She looked down at her feet, unsure of what to say, and becoming increasingly nervous. Bill reached forward with his free hand to lift her chin while tightening his grip on the hand he'd captured earlier. "Please tell me you'll be there, Jenni?"  
  
Jenni felt herself smiling, "I'll be there."  
  
She looked up to see Bill smiling. It was a smile that lit up his entire face and made his eyes sparkle. Jenni found herself getting lost in those blue eyes and before she knew what was happening, Bill had made his way around her desk, gently grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her quickly on the lips before heading out the door. Jenni followed Bill to the door and yelled out, "What was that for?"  
  
Bill stopped half way down the hall and turned to face Jenni. He was grinning like a fool, "That was to say thank you."  
  
Jenni stared, "Thank you for what?"  
  
"For saying you'll be at the party! I've got to tell Charlie. See you tonight." Bill winked and turned and left the building. Jenni blushed slightly, placing her hand to her lips where Bill had kissed her. She grinned as she watched him walk away. When he was finally out of sight she turned to the pile of papers on her desk. 'The hell with it,' Jenni thought. She grabbed her purse and left running full out to Nancy's flat.  
  
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Nancy had spent the day exercising her owl, sending him to every apothecary she could come up with bearing inquiries into Dodo claws and any substance that might work in its place. Every time, she'd received a firm but polite, "We're sorry, that substance is now controlled and used only for Ministry research. No substitute is available." Finally, exhausted and feeling worse than she had all day, she lay down on her bed and fell fitfully asleep.  
  
She was just dreaming that a ten-headed dragon with dark blue eyes had her cornered and was eating a dodo in front of her very eyes when she was jerked awake by the sound of the doorbell. Groggy and queasy, she made her way over her cluttered hallway and around the carefully assembled potions on her kitchen table to the door.  
  
"Hello? Who is it?"  
  
"Nancy! Open up. It's me..." Jenni stood on the other side of her door, alternately pounding on it and ringing the doorbell. "We need to talk."  
  
Nancy stared at the wooden barrier, willing it to turn into a portkey so she could just vanish and not have to tell any more lies to the one person who cared enough to check up on her every day. When nothing happened, she muttered loudly enough to be heard, "I don't want to talk right now."  
  
Jenni had stopped banging and ringing. Her heart sank. Nancy sounded so depressed... maybe this party was a bad idea after all. She thought for a minute and then shook her head in silent agreement with her earlier decision. Nancy needed to get out; she needed to have a little fun to take her mind off of whatever was preying on it. She sighed and said, "Fine, just let me in." When Nancy swung the door open, Jenni looked into her tired brown eyes and thought desperately that maybe there would be someone there who would just know what was wrong with her best friend.  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Hi."  
  
Without thinking about it, Jenni reached out and pulled Nancy into a bear hug. She felt Nancy hug her back after a moment, and sighed, relieved that she was at least letting her care. Whatever it was that she was hiding, Jenni decided, she wouldn't bug her about it tonight. They were going to dress up, go show those Weasleys who they were dealing with, and get Nancy smiling again. The rest would come in time. Stepping back she grinned and said, "Is that pretty red robe of yours clean?"  
  
Nancy's eyes widened. That was NOT the question she'd been expecting. "Uh, yeah, I think so... I haven't worn it since last Christmas."  
  
"Well, lets go see! I've got a surprise for you tonight." Jenni grabbed her by the arm and steered her back down the hall to her bedroom. After a few minutes of searching, the red robe was found, and pronounced perfect by Jenni. Nancy had to admit that it was a pretty one, more of a wine color than a bright red, but the pretty silver trim had always made her feel like a fairy queen. As she pulled it on over her head, she wondered out loud, "Did you bring something, or do you want to borrow one of mine?"  
  
"Well," Jenni winked, trying to preserve her innocent expression, "there is this ONE that I thought you might be able to lend me..."  
  
That earned her a giggle, as her friend pointed her to a drawer where a soft butter yellow pile of fabric was stuffed to one side. "You left it there last time."  
  
With a grin Jenni pounced on it and murmured a quick ironing spell. "See, good as new!" She twirled around holding it, and Nancy had to smile. When she'd bought that robe, it had been slightly long on her, and she'd still hoped that she would grow. However, the first time she'd had Jenni try it on, she'd relinquished all claim to it. Now it was what Jenni wore any time they were headed out from Nancy's apartment. It was very feminine, with pretty little sky blue flowers embroidered around the edges of the sleeves and hem, and totally out of character for Jenni, which Nancy suspected was why her friend loved it so much.  
  
Come to think of it, Jenni was in an astonishingly good mood. Nancy watched as she bustled around the apartment, tossing Nancy a brush and digging under the bed for shoes. It was odd, seeing as they'd both been rather down since the craziness in Romania, but she wasn't about to refuse what looked to be a really fun time. Besides, she thought to herself hopelessly, if that last shop didn't reply with something more encouraging than the rest of the stores had, she wasn't going to be up for this for a long time.  
  
Jenni ran back into the room, having succeeded in finding the pretty pair of silver shoes that she wanted Nancy to wear, and noticed immediately that her friend looked rather down again.  
  
"Look what I found!" She set the heels down and they both looked at them.  
  
"They're pretty," Nancy murmured, "but I don't really feel like dealing with heels tonight. Can't I just wear my..."  
  
"No." Jenni glared at her. "Those old things do NOT match your robes. And besides, I'll make the heels go away. Terrarium!" There was a flash of blue light and the shoes became soft slipper-like flats.  
  
"Oh fine, be all clever..." Nancy sighed, but couldn't help grinning. Jenni was trying so hard to cheer her up. Fine, tonight she would not even THINK about dragons or red hair or... or anything!  
  
The two women spent the next hour spinning around, singing loudly with no music, and generally having far too much fun. The only tense moment came when Jenni went to scrounge for snacks in the kitchen and found the potion bubbling on Nancy's table.  
  
"What's this? You working on something? I could help, I was always better at potions than you were..."  
  
Nancy froze, she'd never thought of what to tell her about that. "Oh, umm, well, it's just something that's supposed to settle my stomach," she lied softly. "I've been a bit queasy lately. No big deal. Now, are you going to bring the cheese kanoodles in here or do I have to come and get them myself?"  
  
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With a *pop* Jenni and Nancy were standing in front of a door to a very lopsided looking house. Nancy looked at Jenni with a curious glare, "And just where have you taken me?"  
  
"Oh, I meant to tell you earlier. Bill stopped by the office just after you left and invited us to a party." Jenni spoke the words so fast that Nancy almost didn't catch what she said.  
  
"Bill? Bill WEASLEY? And since when have you been on speaking terms with him? I thought he infuriated you? Made you angry?" Nancy's voice was dripping with amusement. "Come on Jenni. Tell me, what exactly happened in Romania. Did he kiss you and you forgot to tell me about it?"  
  
Jenni blushed a deep crimson and tried to stutter out an explanation to stop Nancy's ramblings. At Jenni's failure to complete a sentence, Nancy gasped. "That's it! He kissed you! Jenni! How dare you keep this a secret from me?"  
  
Jenni was trying very hard to get Nancy to keep her voice down. "Shhhh Nancy! Someone might here you."  
  
Nancy began to grin. "So, how many times did he kiss you? Was it once? Come on Jenni, tell me please?" Nancy pleaded to Jenni while absentmindedly knocking on the front door.  
  
Jenni stuttered nervously, trying hard to avoid making eye contact with Nancy. "Nancy, that's personal!"  
  
Nancy's mouth dropped open as realization sunk in, "Bill kissed you more than once?"  
  
Jenni cringed as Nancy's voice rang out. Stumbling forward from the absence of the door she was knocking on, Nancy fell headlong into two identical red heads grinning mischievously. Just as Nancy was about to hit the floor, a pair of arms reached out to catch her and she was greeted with a very comical performance.  
  
"Nancy! What a surprise!" "Yes! Quite spiffy to see you here!" "So, what brings you here?" "Did one of our brothers invite you?" "Who's your friend?" "Does she have a boyfriend?" "Is it true you tried to jump from a broomstick 50 feet in the air?" "Did your friend really kiss Bill?"  
  
Jenni wanted to die. What was she thinking? Why did she ever agree to come to this party? She shook her head as she watched Nancy animatedly talking with the identical red heads that she assumed to be the infamous Weasley twins.  
  
Nancy turned to Jenni, "Oh, Jenni I'm so sorry! I forgot to introduce you! This is Fred and George."  
  
Jenni smiled nervously. Something about those two put her on her guard. She would have to keep her eyes open when they were around. Sensing her discomfort, George (or was it Fred?) offered a hand to shake.  
  
"Jenni, absolutely a pleasure to meet you! Now, as with all of our guests tonight we have a special welcome gift for you two lovely ladies." "Right you are George." Fred continued. "And for these two, what do we have today?" "Well now, for our good friend Nancy, as she's so fond of dragons." "Ah, yes! Just like our dear brother Charlie."  
  
Jenni noticed at the mention of Charlie's name, Nancy blushed.  
  
"As I was saying," the one named George continued. "A lovely dragon shaped pin for the lovely Nancy!"  
  
Jenni couldn't help but grin at the twins' antics. They were quite amusing. However, her grin turned to a scowl as they proceeded in the same manner for her gift.  
  
"And for the lovely Jenni." "Yes, well Fred, we know Jenni is fond of reading Romanian newspapers." "Of course! How could I forget." "A small pin very reminiscent of the famous Romanian Prophet." "And, would you look at that George, it's upside down!"  
  
Jenni fought the urge to pull out her wand and hex the younger Weasleys at their proud moment of gift giving. However, she did promise inwardly to send them a very nice thank you gift later on. Nancy however had clearly gotten over her earlier embarrassment and was following the twins to another location. Deciding it was best not to stand around like an idiot, Jenni followed.  
  
As she walked toward the back of the house, Jenni began smoothing out her robes. Her eyes began scanning immediately for Bill. She cursed herself for her impatience. She noticed Nancy too was scanning the crowd for a certain Weasley as well. Jenni took a deep calming breath as they rounded a corner and were faced with a crowd of people that neither her nor Nancy knew. Jenni momentarily looked down to smooth out her robes once more. As she looked up she was face to face with a pair of bright blue eyes belonging to Bill Weasley.  
  
"You made it. I was beginning to get worried that you might not show up." Bill had grabbed Jenni's hand the moment he walked up. She felt a jolt of electricity as his fingers locked with hers. Before she could respond, he continued. "I see you were able to convince Nancy to show up?"  
  
Jenni turned toward her friend. She was appalled to see Nancy walking away with a wink and saying, "I'm off to find a drink." Jenni was left with no other choice but to turn back towards Bill. He was no longer smiling, but he was staring at her with an odd look on his face. Suddenly feeling very self conscious, Jenni looked at herself, "What? Is something wrong? Did I step in mud or something?"  
  
"No, you look." Bill paused before continuing. "You look great." She looks amazing, Bill thought inwardly. The pale yellow robes with the tiny blue flowers looked absolutely fabulous on Jenni, he thought. The slight pink color that arose in her face from his compliments made her just that much more beautiful.  
  
"Come on, I want to introduce you to everyone." Jenni's heart skipped a beat as Bill tugged on her hand and flashed a killer smile.  
  
Jenni was introduced to loads of people she had never met before and would probably never meet again. However, her favorite person had to be Bill's dad. Jenni enjoyed talking to Mr. Weasley about his fascination with muggle inventions. Growing up muggle, Jenni was eager to talk about her childhood recalling technological breakthroughs. She giggled as Mr. Weasley was telling a story about a toaster and his new assistant, a Miss Fracindy, trying to pry out a quill with her wand while the appliance was plugged in and accidentally turned on.  
  
Jenni had also been introduced to several people from the Ministry of Magic, a few people that worked with Bill in Egypt, and the remaining Weasley siblings including Percy, Ron, and Ginny. Jenni was also very taken with the quiet, youngest Weasley. It had only taken a few questions before Jenni had the young girl rambling on in nonstop chatter.  
  
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Giving in to the jolly mood of the people around her, Nancy headed off towards the refreshments, hoping that there was some drink there that would settle her stomach. She winked at Jenni as she walked off, leaving her friend to deal with the rather exuberant six plus feet of Weasley man who had accosted her almost immediately upon their arrival.  
  
She asked a few people she didn't know, and who didn't seem to be family since none of them were redheads, and wound up in the back yard, totally lost. She was scanning the crowd for anyone with red hair when she felt someone grab her shoulder, and jumped.  
  
"Don't make any noise," said a rather slimy voice in her ear. The hand on her shoulder kept her from turning around, and she smelled something foul mixed with alcohol as the man leaned in closer to her ear. "I've got business to discuss with you."  
  
Reacting quickly, Nancy lifted her right foot and aimed behind her, hoping to catch the man off guard, but he was prepared. She winced as he muttered "silencio," and hoping the charm hadn't hit her, opened her mouth to yell for help. When no sound came out, she doubled her struggles, until the slimy voice found her ear again.  
  
"No longer interested in procuring those Dodo claws? I can take my business elsewhere..."  
  
Despite every instinct in her head screaming that he was not safe, Nancy froze. He had some? Thank Merlin! But why didn't he just reply to her owl...  
  
"Ah there we are, I knew you could be reasonable. Now, if you would just follow me over here, we can discuss my terms." With that, he released his bruising grip on her shoulder and walked quickly around the side of the house, into a dark area of trees. She watched him go, unable to see his face or recognize him, and KNOWING that following him was stupid... but he had them. Maybe even with him! This nightmare could be over as soon as she got home tonight... Decided, she limped after him, not noticing the concerned blue-gray eyes that followed her as she rounded the corner.  
  
It was dark, and she shivered. She'd always had a fear of the dark. Her bad eyesight had made every shadow and tree branch into a monster when she was a kid, and she was still jumpy. She nearly whimpered as the noise of the party faded away, but as she wasn't able to make any sound, it wouldn't have mattered anyway. She cursed inwardly, knowing that she was being extremely foolish, especially as she didn't have her wand.  
  
"Lumos."  
  
He was right in front of her. Nancy jumped, startled and afraid, and stepped back a few paces.  
  
"Now, now. No need to be so... skittish with me," he leered unpleasantly.  
  
"What do you want?" The words formed on her mouth but no sound came out... he seemed to get the gist of it and answered.  
  
"Well, I have something that you obviously want quite desperately." She shivered again as he looked her up and down in a very unpleasantly cold way. "Now what I need is something from you that I want just as badly."  
  
Hoping that she was reading him wrong and he meant money, Nancy thrust her hand into the pocket of her robes and pulled out her last few galleons. His cynical laughter was grating and a bit sinister.  
  
"Money? No no, my dear, that is something that is far too easy to come by in my line of work. Besides, you could not possibly have enough to equal the worth of what I am offering to you." He stepped closer, and the offensive smell washed over her again, making her already volatile innards clench angrily. "I want something more... interesting from you."  
  
Eyes widening, Nancy suddenly realized what was going on. She stepped back to leave, suddenly very much afraid of this man, but tripped over a root and fell hard to the ground.  
  
He moved up to stand over her. "Ah, I see you finally understand me. I'll leave my final offer for you." The man pulled out a small card and wrote a few words on the back. "Unless, that is, you would like to earn your reward now?"  
  
She would have screamed then, would have screamed so loudly that half of England would be awakened, but since she couldn't scream Nancy focused on getting up and out of there. In a panicked haze, she heard the cold laughter of her creepy salesman mixing with the scraping of her hands and feet on the ground as she tried to regain her footing. She was so frightened that she didn't notice when he stopped laughing and turned to move away from her, nor did she see someone detach from the distant group of partygoers and approach at a run.  
  
She felt him, though, in the next moment. Every warm, strong, safe inch of him, pulling her into his arms. Charlie Weasley had found her.  
  
His words came spilling out of him as he held her shaking body close to his. "Nancy! What happened? Are you all right? I was looking for you everywhere, and Percy said he saw you go over here with some shady character, and... and he said you were LIMPING..." His voice was rough with worry, and he looked down into her shadowed brown eyes. "What's going on? What's wrong?"  
  
Sure enough, before Nancy had even lifted her head enough to try to respond, Percy, Fred, and George all came skidding up behind their brother, wands at the ready. Embarrassed to be seen in such a state, she buried her head in his chest and listened to the conversation he had with them, his arms never loosening around her.  
  
"What happened? Is she ok? Did you see him?" That sounded like George to Nancy, but she couldn't be sure. She didn't know the twins well enough to distinguish their voices.  
  
"Was it one of THEM then?" That voice Nancy knew. Percy Weasley had been a year below her in Gryffindor, and she'd spent some time with him explaining the duties of Head Girl and Boy, since it was entirely obvious to her that he'd be chosen for his seventh year. She wondered what he meant, one of them. It seemed to bother Charlie because his arms tightened and his voice had a warning note in it.  
  
"We'll talk about it when I take her back to the house. No, I didn't see him... Perce, can you and the twins check to make sure he's really gone? Don't want the bastard hanging around here."  
  
No one spoke after that, and she heard footsteps moving away from them, further into the trees. When it was silent again, Charlie stepped back from her for a moment, and then swung her into his arms and started back to the house. Neither of them said anything, but he kept a very tight grip on her. Nancy's leg was throbbing, and her head had begun to pound. She didn't even want to THINK about her stomach right now. It was the worst she'd felt since getting hurt, and that was saying something. Her vision blurred behind her glasses as hot tears started forming. How had her life gotten so damn frightening?  
  
Charlie felt her start crying just as he reached the side door. His heart wrenched. He hadn't even had the chance to apologize and explain for not staying in touch when she was assaulted on his family's property! He looked down at her dark hair, not wanting to speak to her until he was sure they were alone. Slipping inside, he darted up the stairs, earning only a worried look from his ever-observant mother.  
  
By the time he had reached the room he and Bill were sharing during their time at the Burrow, she'd stopped crying and was shaking more violently. Charlie's heart was beating double-time, and he quickly stepped inside and shut the door, laying her down on his bed. Then, he reached up and lit the lamp with a flick of his wand.  
  
"Incendio."  
  
It was the first good look he'd had at her since she'd arrived. He couldn't say she looked awful, not with those adorable robes and all that curly brown hair. But... something was definitely wrong. Her skin had the pale, stretched look of someone battling a serious illness, totally unlike the soft healthy glow he'd memorized during that one day two weeks ago. Her eyes had deep shadows under them, and he had to know about that limp...  
  
He was reaching down to pull the hem of her robes up when there was a sharp knock on the door. One of the twins (Fred, he thought distractedly, noticing the bruise on his jaw from the last prank his new girl had pulled -- that Marion was some little devil) was standing there, looking worried and unusually serious.  
  
"Did you..."  
  
"No, he's not there anymore... George and Percy are checking the wards on the yard and house. But... I found this close to where she had been..." Fred trailed off helplessly.  
  
"She's ok. Really." Charlie tried to sound reassuring, and Fred nodded reluctantly. "Let me see what you've got..."  
  
"It's just a card... no visible name, but look what it says on the back."  
  
Charlie brought it into the light. "One pound Dodo's claws for one night. Owl me." He tried to choke down his anger, knowing it couldn't help anyone to fly into a murderous rage over a girl he'd known two weeks, but only barely succeeded. "Well, shit. It does appear that our Nancy has an... admirer."  
  
That was all he could say in front of his brother. His brain working furiously to figure out just what had happened tonight, he sent him off to warn Bill that Jenni needed to be distracted from worrying about her friend until they had a better idea of what they were dealing with.  
  
Closing the door behind his younger brother, Charlie leaned against it and sighed, looking from the enigmatic writing on the small card to the silent girl on the bed and back again. How in the hell had she landed herself in a position where she needed an obsolete potion for a dragon's bite?  
  
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Bill grinned as he watched his sister walk off towards Ron. "You know, I think you're the first person I've ever seen her take to like that. How did you do that? I mean, get her to open up and talk like that?"  
  
Jenni shrugged, "I don't know. I just like kids a lot."  
  
"Well, I must say, you were excellent. Ginny never talks that much. Not even with us."  
  
Jenni smiled. "So, is there anything to drink at this party?"  
  
"Yeah, what do you want?" Bill began rambling off names of various drinks such as pumpkin juice and lemon fizz. Jenni opted for the lemon fizz as it reminded her of homemade muggle lemonade. Bill had prompted her to stay put while he retrieved the drinks. He was thoroughly enjoying the evening. Nothing was going to ruin this night for him, he thought as he poured their drinks. His thoughts were interrupted as he noticed Fred walking towards him with a rather serious expression. This can't be good, he thought.  
  
Fred quickly explained what happened only moments ago and that Charlie felt it would be best if Jenni was kept occupied until they knew all the details. Bill nodded. He walked back with a grin, knowing exactly how he wanted to occupy her mind.  
  
Bill handed Jenni her drink and suddenly felt guilty about not telling her that Nancy had been in trouble. He knew she would be furious if she thought he was hiding something from her. But he had to agree with Charlie. Best not to involve her until they knew everything. At least as long as he was with Jenni, he knew she would be safe.  
  
Jenni looked up. Noticing a distant look in Bill's eyes she questioned him. "Are you okay?"  
  
He was jolted back to his senses as he realized he had allowed his mind to wander off. "Yeah, I'm fine. You want to go for a walk?" Without waiting for her reply, Bill took her hand and led Jenni off, away from the crowd of people and towards the garden.  
  
Jenni took in everything. The gnarled trees, stone walls, a pond filled with frogs, and flowers. She also noticed several small creatures scuttling through thick patches of grass. She was just about to ask what they were when one appeared out of nowhere and ran in front of her, causing her to yelp. "What is that!?!?" Jenni shrieked.  
  
Bill laughed. "That, is a gnome. Haven't you ever seen one before?"  
  
Jenni glared. "No I haven't." She shuddered at the memory of the sight of that hideous little creature. It had to be the most disgusting thing she ever saw.  
  
Bill had felt her shudder and wrapped his arms protectively around her. "Don't worry. They're perfectly harmless, unless you're Fred and George and decide to feed them canary creams. Gnomes do not like to sprout feathers all unexpectedly."  
  
Jenni felt herself giggling at the thought of feathered gnomes.  
  
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Oh gods, her head was killing her. And her stomach... shoot! She needed a bathroom NOW. She tried to sit up, hoping to make it before all of the cheese kanoodles she'd so unwisely eaten came back up to say told-ya-so.  
  
"Nancy?" Oh my, his eyes were only inches away. Deep dark blue, looking so worried and confused... she shuddered as her stomach rolled urgently. The eyes would have to wait; right now those cheese kanoodles were demanding her attention.  
  
"Nancy... are you..."  
  
Suddenly she couldn't hold it in any longer, and she found herself on the receiving end of Charlie's amazing quidditch/dragon reflexes. His arms were around her, and he'd produced a basin for her to aim for within seconds of her agonized moan.  
  
As she listened to his murmured words of comfort and sympathy, Nancy couldn't help letting a bit of her mind wander off and wonder just WHY he would expend so much effort on her behalf. At least she knew for sure that he wasn't using her for her looks or her money, she thought a bit grimly, trying not to melt with gratitude as he gently cleaned her up and settled onto the bed, pulling her into his lap. Trying being the key word. She failed utterly, and couldn't help leaning into his solid chest as she tried to get her bearings.  
  
"Why were you limping?" His voice was soft and gentle, and she could feel her eyelids drooping even as she gestured to her mangled leg, which at the moment was carefully hidden under the robes and a bandage. He shot her a look and she nodded. Might as well see what he made of it all. She was about to learn just how much Captain Dragon knew about... well... dragons.  
  
He reached down and very gently pulled up her skirts and unwrapped the bandages. Oddly, Nancy wasn't tense as she waited for him to figure out the secret that she'd so carefully guarded for two weeks. Maybe it was the after effects of escaping the attempted kidnapping of the apothecarist, maybe the fact that she was wrapped up in his arms and cuddled against his chest, or maybe it was just that she hadn't had a good night's sleep in two weeks, but something about him was just so calming that she could barely keep her eyes open.  
  
Charlie couldn't help smiling as she drifted off to sleep in his arms. She seemed exhausted, and it felt so nice to hold her while she was so peaceful. His smile vanished, however, as he finished unwrapping her leg.  
  
"What the hell?!"  
  
She stirred at his words, but didn't wake. He was still staring at her leg, guilt and worry quickly replacing disbelief. He recognized that cut -- he'd bandaged it crudely in midair two weeks ago. But... how had he missed the fact that she'd gotten it from a dragon? 


	8. Sleeping Arrangements

Disclaimer - Come on now, be serious.  
  
A/N -- Thank yous are at the bottom! Enjoy!!  
  
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Charlie's first instinct was to shake her awake and make her tell him why this wound was still festering as though nothing had been done to clean away the dragon poison. He nearly did, his hands moving away from her discolored and swollen leg and up to her arms, but his training kicked in just in time.  
  
'Hang on there, Charlie. What do you know about untreated dragon injuries?' he thought frantically. He began running through side effects and symptoms - dehydration, general weakness, inability to sleep, inability to keep food down for long... He shouldn't wake her. This was probably the first time she'd slept for days.  
  
Charlie leaned back against the headboard of the bed, staring at the sleeping girl in his arms. He knew that she was smart, some would go so far as to label her a type of brilliant. How had she not figured it out... and why hadn't she gotten help regardless?  
  
"Damn, damn, damn..."  
  
There was a soft knock on the door. It opened a crack, and he could make out Percy's serious face on the other side.  
  
"It's ok, come in... just be quiet."  
  
"It was the ward by the quidditch field..." Percy looked nervous and uncertain, something that Charlie hadn't seen on his younger brother's face for a long time.  
  
"Did you tell Dad? Or were you able to fix it?" Charlie's voice lowered to a whisper as Nancy stirred again, curling against him even more securely.  
  
"Fixed it. But I may have Bill look at it, just to make sure."  
  
"Good idea," Charlie sighed. "I'm going to stay up here for a while. She's not feeling well, and... I need to talk to her once she wakes up."  
  
"Charlie?" Percy's voice was so worried that it startled his brother. He was so used to the Head Boy, know-it-all that they'd learned to deal with over the last few years.  
  
"What is it, Perce?"  
  
"She really looks bad. What happened?"  
  
"I'm not sure. But she's been sick for a while anyway. Keep an eye on things down there, Perce. Just call if you need me."  
  
"Ok. I'll probably be shadowing Noëlle Fracindy around, she's bound and determined to blow something up tonight." Charlie allowed himself a small smile as his brother left. The way he was fixated on his father's new assistant would have been unhealthy, if she hadn't been such a sweet girl with a tendency to disrupt Percy's overly calm and ordered existence.  
  
He glanced down and saw that her brown eyes were open.  
  
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Bill had felt her shudder and wrapped his arms protectively around her. "Don't worry. They're perfectly harmless, unless you're Fred and George and decide to feed them canary creams. Gnomes do not like to sprout feathers all unexpectedly."  
  
Jenni giggled, picturing gnomes with bright yellow feathers covering their bodies. She stopped suddenly as she felt Bill's eyes on her. She looked up to meet his gaze and although it was rather warm outside, Jenni shivered as she realized that Bill's arms were around her. She thanked the cover of darkness as she lowered her face, feeling it heat up with a blush.  
  
Bill placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face, unable to stop himself. He leaned forward and felt her sharp intake of breath as his lips met hers briefly. They lingered for a moment before he pulled back, studying her reaction and watching as she slowly opened her eyes.  
  
Jenni's heart was pounding. She was sure it was beating loud enough for Bill to hear. Her hands tightened on Bill's arms as she felt her knees shake slightly. She opened her eyes slowly, avoiding his gaze, unsure of what to do or say. Their eyes finally met and Jenni felt herself melt. There was a warmth in his gaze that took her breath away. She watched as the corners of his mouth turned upward, and he smiled as he ran his thumb across her cheek.  
  
Bill noticed Jenni had become extremely quiet. "Is something wrong?" Dammit, he thought. I shouldn't have kissed her. He searched her face for any hint of emotion. All he saw was confusion. He hoped he hadn't just scared her away. Especially since he had finally had a conversation without her yelling at him.  
  
Jenni turned away from him, not trusting herself to look into his eyes again. "No. Nothing's wrong." She paused, not sure how to continue. "It's just."  
  
"I'm sorry," Bill started. "I wasn't thinking."  
  
Jenni grinned. A guy apologizing for kissing her? That was a first. "Please, don't be sorry. I should have stopped you but... I didn't. It's not entirely your fault."  
  
Bill breathed a small sigh of relief. At least she wasn't angry with him. He had to get a grip on his emotions. He didn't know what it was about Jenni, but whatever it was, he was anything but his usual calm and in- control self. He looked back down at her face. She was hiding something. "What is it? Do you have a boyfriend and just didn't know how to tell me?" Smooth Weasley! Bill thought irritably. Now what are you going to do if she says yes?  
  
Jenni rolled her eyes, oblivious to the anxious look on Bill's face. "Please. The last boyfriend I had decided to leave me because he said he needed more space. I reluctantly agree and he goes off and marries a woman with two kids."  
  
Bill gave a sigh of relief and laughed. At least she wasn't seeing anyone. That was one huge advantage. His laughter was cut short however as he caught a flash of anger from Jenni's direction. Perhaps laughing wasn't the right thing to do right now, he thought.  
  
"You think that's funny? Great. Go ahead and have a good laugh at my expense. I'll just sit back and supply you more of my heartbreaking experiences so you can enjoy them." Jenni's voice had an icy edge to it.  
  
"Jenni, please. I'm sorry." Bill pleaded as Jenni glared at him, trying to restrain his smile. "I know I shouldn't have laughed. But really, it's his loss if he can't see what a great person you are." He grinned a little as Jenni's glare softened. "Come on, you're not really mad at me. Are you?" The last part spoken with a little hesitancy.  
  
Jenni gave in. "No, I'm not mad at you. I just didn't expect you to laugh at me."  
  
"Ok, first of all, I wasn't laughing at you. I would never laugh about something that caused you pain. I was merely laughing at the way you said it."  
  
"The way I said it?" Jenni eyed him suspiciously.  
  
"Well, yes. I mean there you are, '.and he goes off and marries a woman with two kids.'" Bill was waving his hands imitating Jenni's earlier performance as she burst into a fit of laughter. "There! You see?" Bill pointed at Jenni who was doubled over in laughter.  
  
"Well," Jenni spoke through giggles. "Seeing it put that way. Yes, it was funny." Jenni managed to look up to see two boys headed their way. "Hey isn't that one of your brothers?"  
  
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"I'm sorry... try to go back to sleep." Nancy looked so confused, so vulnerable. Charlie found himself wishing he knew her better, so he could demand to know what was going on, instead of hoping that she would confide in him.  
  
"Sleep? No... wha..." Her voice was scratchy and odd sounding, a result of the silencing charm that was slowly wearing off. Nancy struggled to sit up, almost succeeding when another wave of nausea sent her scurrying back into the warmth of Charlie. She blinked a few times, and felt him reach down and remove her glasses so she could rub her eyes. "What happened?"  
  
"You're exhausted." She looked up at him as he talked, trying to read his dark eyes. He seemed... worried, and almost upset. "Any dragon injury left untended for more than a day or so will do that to you - not let you sleep."  
  
Nancy flinched. He had it all worked out, then. That had been fast. Unless she'd been sleeping for a while, but it didn't feel like it had been more than a few minutes. Wilting a bit from the relief of not having to play games with him anymore, she said, "It didn't go untended. Not entirely."  
  
She watched his gaze darken perceptibly. "You call THIS tended?" He made an angry gesture towards her swollen, painful leg, and Nancy noticed that her robes were pulled up and he had the bandages off.  
  
"I was doing my best!" She was starting to get defensive now. "I'm almost done with... something that should help." She stopped herself before naming the potion; as he was sure to know that it was arcane and the ingredients controlled. "What's it to you, anyway?"  
  
"What's it to me?" Charlie repeated, incredulous. What was it to him? What was SHE to him? Why was he so worried about whether or not she was treating a wound or being abducted by strange men? And it wasn't just the protective Weasley in him that reacted when anyone was in danger... this was different. She was... oh bloody hell, she was staring at him. He blushed slightly in true Weasley tradition and tried to cover the silence.  
  
"It's... well for starters, it's my bloody JOB. I'm supposed to have a handle on these dragons, and when there's a problem like you witnessed, we're responsible for treating any wounded." He glared down at her, still indignant that she would value her own health so far below where she should. "And what was that you were working on?" A sudden though occurred to him, and he pulled out the card from his pocket. "It's one of the Obsoletes, isn't it? What else would you need Dodo claws for?" He smiled grimly as she paled.  
  
"That's none of your business."  
  
Charlie couldn't deal with the closed, cold face she was showing him. He simply knew that this wasn't the way she usually spoke or acted. Something had to be really wrong, and in his worry he heard his voice rising. "Why in the hell would you waste your time and very precious energy on one of those? I know for a fact that St. Mungo's has Horntail antidotes. It would take them all of forty minutes!"  
  
"And twice that many Galleons..." Her voice was so soft Charlie had to lean down to hear it, but hear it he did. He stared at her. Money? Money was the reason that she'd...  
  
"No, wait... why should it matter how much the hospital charges? You were hurt on the job... they have to pay for it." Charlie put on his best 'big brother logic' voice, hoping that she had somehow overlooked this detail.  
  
Nancy gave a sad little laugh. "Well, that's usually true. What, did you think I didn't do my homework?" Her voice sounded tired and frustrated. "I could quote you the policy. It's as bad as the ministry. 'Said employee will be covered, etc, except in case of dragon injuries. Any work involving dragons must be fully approved and cleared with the proper channels before departure for any coverage to be granted...'"  
  
The room fell silent as her words faded away. Charlie was still staring down at her, although she'd hidden her face in his shirt. He could feel her breath as she lay there. It would cost 80 galleons at least at St. Mungo's for the potion she'd need, and if she hadn't expected to see dragons on her trip and so didn't get covered... Suddenly a breeze blew in the laughter of the party outside his window. Nancy shivered, and Charlie's attention was drawn back to the very ill woman lying in his arms. He knew what he needed to do.  
  
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Bill glanced up. "Yeah, that's Ron. Oh, and Harry's finally shown up. Excellent!" Bill was about to introduce Jenni to Harry Potter when Ron started talking.  
  
"Bill, what's going on?"  
  
"What do you mean, Ron? I'm having a conversation with Jenni." Bill's voice sounded slightly frustrated. Jenni and Harry exchanged smiles trying to conceal their laughter.  
  
"I'm talking about Charlie running into the house with some girl. She looked hurt. And then Fred, George and Percy were mumbling something about checking the wards." Ron's face was mixed with concern and worry.  
  
Bill glanced nervously at Jenni before answering Ron, "Keep your voice down Ron. We don't need."  
  
Before he could finish, Jenni interrupted. "There was a girl with Charlie?"  
  
Ron looked at her questioningly. "Yeah, she had brown hair, glasses, and he was carrying her like something was wrong."  
  
Jenni was just about to ask Ron where Charlie had taken Nancy when a girl with rather bushy brown hair walked up and jumped into the conversation. "There you two are. I've been looking everywhere for you."  
  
Thinking that the girl was rather bossy, and rude, interrupting a conversation like that, Jenni was just about to comment but Ron spoke first. "HerMIone. We were about to find out... something. Couldn't you wait just two more minutes?"  
  
"No, I couldn't. Besides, you two obviously interrupted their conversation." Jenni noticed the girl nod her head in her and Bill's direction.  
  
"Yeah, just like you interrupted this conversation," Ron retorted, obviously annoyed.  
  
Harry rolled his eyes at his bickering friends, "Why don't we just go find Fred and George. They'll tell us what's going on." Harry turned towards Jenni and Bill, "Sorry about those two."  
  
As the three walked off, Ron and Hermione still sniping at one another, Jenni turned towards the house. "Jenni, wait." Bill grabbed her arm to stop her.  
  
"Bill, I have to make sure Nancy is okay. What if she's really hurt?" The tears had started to form and Jenni wasn't trying to hide them.  
  
"Jenni listen to me. She's okay. She's with Charlie." Bill held Jenni by the shoulders trying to make her listen to him.  
  
"You knew?" Jenni's voice was full of disbelief. "You knew and you didn't tell me? How COULD you?"  
  
"I wanted to tell you. But there's more to it then what you've just heard. Just calm down and let me explain..."  
  
Jenni pulled away. "You had plenty of time to explain. What makes you think that I'm going to sit here now and listen to your explanations?"  
  
She stormed away leaving Bill standing alone. Not knowing where she was going, she headed into the lopsided house that she and Nancy had entered when they first arrived and looked around for some sign of where Charlie may have taken Nancy. She was just about to head up the stairs when Bill ran in behind her, grabbing her arm again. "Jenni, would you at least give me one minute?"  
  
Standing several steps up, Jenni was now eye level with Bill and for the first time he saw all of her anger as she lashed out. "No, I will not give you a minute. You knew something had happened to Nancy and you KEPT it from me. Then you expect me to listen to your explanations? Just because you asked politely you think I'll agree? It doesn't work that way. I mean just because I ask you to jump in front of the Whomping Willow does that mean you would do it!"  
  
Bill had become equally angry. "Oh, for Merlin's sake. Could you stop being so stubborn and LISTEN to me?" His voice has risen in volume to match hers. "And yes, if it makes you feel any better, I WOULD jump in front of the." Bill never finished his sentence as Mrs. Weasley chose that time to see what all the yelling was about in her house.  
  
"I thought I told you boys that the party was to stay OUTSIDE!" Jenni stepped back, falling on the steps behind her as a short, plump woman with red hair came from around the corner and rounded on Bill. "I knew that when I agreed to let the lot of you have this party that no good would come of it. People in and out constantly, Charlie, Percy and the twins constantly up and down the stairs. And now you two. I won't hear of it. Out of my house now!"  
  
Bill was obviously trying to explain something to the woman when realization hit Jenni. "You're his mother?" Jenni asked pointing towards Bill in a disgusted manner.  
  
The woman looked at Jenni with a mixture of outrage that this girl could possibly insult her son and amusement. "Why yes, I am his mother. Along with six other unruly children running around somewhere." She gestured towards the party and multitude of people outdoors.  
  
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"Nancy?" Charlie's voice was soft again, and he felt some of the tension drain out of her. "I have an antidote."  
  
She pulled back sharply, her brown eyes flying up to meet his blue ones. "You... you do? But... wha... how?" Her thoughts were racing as fast as her sluggish brain would let them. He had one of the Obsoletes? But those were illegal! She suddenly realized that he was talking and tried to pay attention.  
  
"... and they issue special emergency amounts to all of the leaders, and so... I'm supposed to carry it with me at all times, so that if one of my team members is injured... just a quick injection, very muggle of them..." An injection? But... the Obsoletes were very thick potions that you had to drink. That must mean that he had the modern antidote. Not illegal after all. Unlike herself.  
  
Charlie stopped talking when he realized that she was shaking her head as though to refuse him. "What? What's wrong?"  
  
"It's what they use at the hospital, right?"  
  
"Well, actually, no... it's a bit stronger, works more quickly. Which is good, since it's been so long since you were hurt, but... it does mean you'll feel really wretched for about a day." He looked a bit worried as he explained this, but Nancy wasn't worried about side effects. Pulling away from him a bit more, she stared down at her hands fixedly.  
  
"Then it will cost the same. I can't afford..."  
  
Charlie cut her off as soon as he figured out what she was getting at. "Don't be an idiot. It won't cost you anything."  
  
"Don't patronize me." He flinched inwardly as her face paled and her eyes flashed, realizing that he was seeing her anger for the first time. He kept his face calm, however, and shot a reply right back at her.  
  
"I'm not. If you don't take this now, we're going to have to take you in to the emergency ward within the next day or so. You're pushing your luck and you know it. Taking it now would just save me the trouble of finding you collapsed in the street somewhere."  
  
Nancy only spared a moment to wonder why he was so certain that he would the one finding her before gritting her teeth and reiterating, "I don't want your charity."  
  
Charlie gaped at her. "Did you not just hear me?" When she kept that closed, defensive look on her face, he rolled his eyes. "You want to pay for it? That's fine. But I set the price."  
  
"No charity," she repeated doggedly. "I'm paying you what it's worth."  
  
Biting his lip to keep from grinning as he wondered how on earth she still had the energy to do anything, never mind be incredibly stubborn and argumentative, Charlie nodded slowly. If she wanted to pay, he'd make her pay... but not in money. "Fine." He'd explain the worth of the potion to her tomorrow, when she was feeling better, he thought a bit wickedly.  
  
Nancy looked at him dubiously. It was too easy. There had to be a catch.  
  
"I really don't think..." Before she could finish, Charlie had leaned forward and placed a finger on her lips to keep her from speaking. His eyes were boring into hers, and she started to feel flushed. She noticed that the devilish grin she remembered so well from Romania had slipped onto his face, and was hardly breathing when he whispered, "Oh you'll pay." The heat from his gaze was almost overwhelming, and Nancy was the first to look away.  
  
"Please, don't play with me right now... I don't think I can handle it." The quiet helplessness in her voice wiped the smirk off of Charlie's face, and his eyes darkened with concern. She was sitting across the bed from him, and in one swift motion, he stood up, eased her back onto the pillows, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.  
  
"Trust me. I'll see you through this."  
  
Biting her lip nervously, Nancy nodded and gave in, feeling a huge weight lift off of her shoulders. Charlie started discussing Quidditch strategies with her as he prepared the needle, trying to distract the uncomfortable young woman from her pain and worries. He realized about three minutes into the conversation that her initial remarks on the abilities of Charlie Weasley while on his broom in Romania had been more than name-dropping. This girl knew her Quidditch! He was grinning as she argued with him about Puddlemere United's strategy of a chaser-oriented team, noticing how her color had improved since she'd relaxed. Unable to stop himself, he reached out and gently brushed some hair out of her face.  
  
"...and to think that their match against the Ravens could have been completely different if they'd... just... er..." Nancy's voice trailed off as his hand lingered by her face. There was that overly warm, flushed feeling again, she thought irritably. At least when she was feeling better that would go away. Suddenly, her eyes locked with his, and she noticed that they no longer seemed blue, but were nearly black pools of unreadable and undiscovered depths.  
  
She felt him lean closer, and gasped when his thumb ran down the side of her face; she had forgotten that his hand was still there. Letting her eyes flutter closed, she barely heard him whisper roughly, "That sound should be illegal," before his lips were on hers for a soft, sweet moment. All of her thoughts slipped out of her mind as she focused on the gentle pressure of his warm lips on hers.  
  
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"I'm sorry." Jenni began. "I didn't realize, I mean it's just Ron said something about Charlie brought someone in here that was hurt and I think it might be my friend. I only wanted to see if she was ok. And then I find out that Bill already knew all of this and didn't tell me that Nancy was hurt. I got mad and came here to look for her. I didn't mean to cause any trouble."  
  
Mrs. Weasley's expression softened as she watched Jenni's concerned face become streaked with tears. Taking Jenni by the arm she led her to a couple of chairs in front of the fireplace. Mrs. Weasley looked over to Bill, "Why don't you go make some tea?"  
  
Jenni noticed he was about to argue but only replied "Yes mum."  
  
"Now then," Mrs. Weasley began. "If I know Charlie, I'm sure your friend is just fine. If she was seriously hurt, he wouldn't try to take things into his own hands. He's very responsible."  
  
Jenni looked up with a watery smile, "You really think so?"  
  
"I'm positive." Mrs. Weasley replied. "And as soon as I find out what's going on, I'm sure it won't be a problem for you to see your friend."  
  
Jenni nodded weakly and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have caused such a scene yelling like I did."  
  
Mrs. Weasley smiled, "That's ok, you're just concerned about your friend. Nancy, I believe you said her name was?"  
  
"Yes ma'am. We've been best friends since my fifth year at Hogwarts." Jenni was able to talk comfortably with Mrs. Weasley and soon found herself recounting Nancy's strange behavior over the past two weeks, and about how worried she had been since their return trip from Romania. For the most part, Mrs. Weasley sat listening, only nodding here and there or offering a comforting word or two, but it wasn't long after the conversation changed that Jenni found herself smiling again when Bill emerged from the kitchen carrying a tray with a pot of tea and several cups.  
  
Jenni reached for the cup of tea that Bill held out to her as he sat down next to her. She sighed heavily as her eyes wandered toward the stairs wondering how Nancy was. Leaning back, Jenni rested her head against Bill's shoulder. She listened quietly as Bill told Mrs. Weasley what he knew of the situation. Jenni was still angry with him for not telling her about Nancy. She moved to sit forward, realizing what this must look like to Mrs. Weasley - she hardly even knew her. However, instead of being able to sit up, she felt Bill's arm pull her back against him. Jenni found herself relaxing against him, her head on his chest, as she listened to him talk and felt the warmth and comfort of his arm tightening around her small frame.  
  
She looked up as Mrs. Weasley stood up and headed for the stairs. She whispered to Bill, "Where's your mum going?"  
  
"To check on Charlie and see what he's up to." Bill watched Jenni's face as she watched his mum disappear up the stairs. Her eyes were constantly worried and no longer held the spark he had become accustomed to seeing.  
  
Jenni sighed, wishing she knew what was going on and what exactly was wrong with Nancy. Bill's voice brought her out of her thoughts.  
  
"Jenni?"  
  
"Yes?" Jenni answered. She was so exhausted from worry she didn't even lift her head off Bill's shoulder.  
  
"You know mum's right."  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About Nancy. If something were seriously wrong, Charlie would have gotten help."  
  
Jenni didn't respond. She let Bill's words sink in, hoping that he was right. She found herself once again on the verge of tears and fighting hard to keep them from spilling out. She sank further against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.  
  
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After what seemed like only a heartbeat, he pulled away just a bit. She could feel his breath on her face, and his thumb was rubbing mesmerizing circles on her cheek. Nancy was working up the courage to reach for him when she felt an immensely painful burning sensation spreading out from her injured leg. Crying out softly from the pain, she opened her eyes and saw him wearing an expression of guilt and worry.  
  
"Wha... what's wrong with me?" Nancy stammered out, and Charlie cursed the fear he saw in her eyes. "It hurts... burns... everywhere."  
  
"Shhhh, I'm here. I'm so sorry, Nancy. The only thing I didn't tell you was... it's going to hurt like that. For a few minutes. If there was any other way, I'd do it, but... I'm so sorry."  
  
Her eyes widened as tears stung the back of them. "You... you injected me? After... but we... but... why?" He watched, hating to put her through the intense pain she was experiencing right now, as she bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.  
  
"Here, let me try and help." He slid back onto the bed, pulling her rigid body up next to his, and slowly massaging her arms and back.  
  
"Why?" she whispered again, even as he gently coaxed her panicked body back into a fairly relaxed position. "Why didn't you tell me first?"  
  
"Because..." Charlie wiped a few tears off of her face as he hesitated over the answer. When it came it was a whisper. "Because, I couldn't bear to scare you AND hurt you."  
  
As the Horntail poison and the antidote he'd just given her fought it out in every corner of her trembling body, she replied groggily, "You'd'nt ever do that... not you." Then she promptly curled up around him and fell into a troubled sleep.  
  
Charlie was still staring at her, running her words through his mind, when his mother opened the door a few minutes later.  
  
"Charlie! What on earth?" Her eyes went very round as she tried to take in the shock of seeing him sitting on his bed, holding a sleeping young witch in his arms and looking rather humbled.  
  
"Mum! Shh, please." Charlie glanced up at his mother, hoping she didn't assume the wrong thing about this situation. He really wanted her to like Nancy, for a reason that he really didn't feel like analyzing with his mum's piercing eyes on him. He watched as she got over her surprise and collected herself, her eyes narrowing dangerously.  
  
"You'd better have one heck of an explanation, young man."  
  
He looked into his mother's compassionate face and smiled, knowing that her tone of voice was merely covering up her worry.  
  
"She's very sick, mum. That's the only reason she's so close right now. She needs rest and warmth... and I seem to have the ability to give her those, at least."  
  
This deflected his mother's attention for a moment, and she looked down at Nancy. "Poor thing, look how pale she is. And thin! The poor dear resembles Harry after a full summer of his relatives not feeding him." She fixed him with a glare. "And WHY is the little dear in such bad shape? And does she need a hospital?"  
  
Charlie took a few minutes and quietly explained what had happened, his arms tightening unthinkingly as he told his soft-hearted mum why Nancy wouldn't get help. He carefully skimmed over the incident tonight, saying that it had just been Nancy collapsing from the strain. He and his brothers would talk to their father before making a big deal of the intruder.  
  
"But she's got the medicine in her now? My word, two weeks fighting a dragon injury! How on earth..." Charlie shrugged helplessly.  
  
"I can't figure that out either. She was able to contain the poison somehow, it seems," he smiled down at the sleeping girl, amazed at her resourcefulness.  
  
"Well, Charlie, dear," said Mrs. Weasley with a pleased little smile on her face that Charlie didn't quite understand, "I'm very proud of you. Now, you should probably stay there so that she can sleep through the night, right?"  
  
He gaped at his mother. "You... you want me to... in the same... are you sure?" he finished weakly. His mother had always had very strict rules about girls, boys and the proper distance between them when in her house.  
  
"Can't wake her up, now can we? The poor thing might never get back to sleep." There was a twinkle in his mother's eye that made Charlie narrow his eyes suspiciously, but before he could ask she had thrust a pillow at him "for your back, dear" and left to tell Jenni and Bill what was going on. He situated the pillow carefully, making sure not to jostle Nancy's head, and then ran his fingers through her hair, muttering softly, "Well, I think she likes you."  
  
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Jenni didn't respond. She let Bill's words sink in, hoping that he was right. She found herself once again on the verge of tears and fighting hard to keep them from spilling out. She sank further against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her.  
  
The two sat quietly waiting for Mrs. Weasley to return. Bill's mind raced with a thousand things he wanted to tell Jenni but nothing seemed appropriate. He knew she was worried but for once he couldn't think of a damn thing to say. Jenni was glad for the silence. Glad that for once she didn't have to think of anything to say. She felt her eyelids growing heavy and stifled a yawn. The constant worrying about Nancy, and the emotional roller coaster of the past two weeks were finally catching up with her. She closed her eyes briefly hoping for a moment's rest when she felt Bill sit up. Mrs. Weasley was heading back down the stairs.  
  
Jenni's impatience had taken over. She stood up and met Mrs. Weasley at the foot of the stairs. "How is Nancy? Is she ok?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley smiled, "She's fine. In fact she's sleeping right now. I think the two of you should stay the night. Your friend doesn't seem to be in any shape to travel."  
  
With a huge sigh of relief Jenni leaned forward and hugged the woman without thinking. "Thank goodness she's ok. Can I go see her?" Jenni broke away with an anxious glance towards the stairs.  
  
Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Bill will show you where she is. Charlie has her resting in the boys' room." There was an odd twinkle in her eyes that made Bill a tiny bit uneasy, but he dismissed it as nerves.  
  
Jenni leaned forward again to hug Mrs. Weasley, "Thank you so much." As she stepped back, Bill grabbed her hand to lead her up the stairs to see Nancy.  
  
Feeling herself become nervous, she gripped Bill's hand. She didn't know what to expect when she saw Nancy. Bill sensed her nervousness and gave her a reassuring smile as he opened the door slowly.  
  
She peered inside. She stepped forward slowly and gave a small gasp. Nancy's face was extremely pale. And for the first time, Jenni realized just how thin she had gotten. Guilt welled up inside Jenni as she cursed herself for not being more observant to her friend's state of health. She looked on as she noticed that Nancy did indeed seem to be resting peacefully with her head in Charlie's lap. Jenni's eyes narrowed and her protective nature took over.  
  
"WHAT do you think you are DOING, Charlie Weasley?"  
  
"Why, Jenni Ferguson, with that tone of voice I almost mistook you for my mother." Charlie's impish grin did nothing to soften her glare and Bill shot him a warning look, knowing that she was not in the mood to joke around. Charlie just winked at him, and Bill groaned.  
  
"You better watch it, or I'll get your mother. I'm sure she would have issues with her son taking advantage of a sick, helpless girl..."  
  
Charlie's grin faded. His eyes went serious and he explained softly, "The only ulterior motive that I have for sharing a bed with Nancy tonight is her health and safety."  
  
Bill held his breath, surprised at his brother's vehemence. Jenni blinked, caught off guard as well, and all three of them looked at the small woman hidden under a mound of covers, her wavy brown hair spilling onto Charlie's lap.  
  
Jenni broke the silence by taking a long, shaky breath. "She told YOU what was wrong?"  
  
Both men flinched, recognizing the pain in her voice. Charlie looked her straight in the eye, noticing that Bill had put a hand on her shoulder. "Not by choice, Jenni. If she could have, she would have kept it from me too."  
  
Jenni sighed, sinking down onto the other bed in the room. It smelled rather like Bill she noticed absently, putting her head in her hands.  
  
The two brothers looked at each other, and Charlie motioned for Bill to go to her.  
  
"Jenni..." he began.  
  
She sat up at her name, suddenly composed. "She can't stay here. Not with both of you... it's just, it's just not right." She glared at Charlie and then turned a decided gaze on Bill. "I'll stay. Sleep here." She patted the bed she was sitting on. "That way... if she needs me..."  
  
Charlie's jaw dropped. The girl had just kicked his brother out of his own bed. Bill looked like he was about to argue, but one glance at her face changed his mind. She needed to do this, to be here. He sighed. To the couch with him. He turned around to face Jenni before heading downstairs. "You know, I never imagined this."  
  
Jenni looked up curiously, "Imagined what?"  
  
Bill grinned, "Imagined that it would be this easy to get you in my bed."  
  
Jenni stared in shock at Bill's retreating back. She turned towards Charlie who was turning red in the face at containing his laughter. Jenni had daggers for eyes as she glared at Charlie. "Put a sock in it Weasley. It wasn't funny."  
  
Charlie couldn't help it. "You're right. That wasn't funny. That was priceless!"  
  
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A/N - THANK YOUS to the reviewers! It's so much more fun to write when you know someone's reading and enjoying it!  
  
DeadSexy - thanks for your enthusiasm!! We're writing as fast as we can!!  
  
Kame the Turtle - We're hoping to give the rest of the weasleys plenty of spotlight. All sorts of periphery plots and such. They're all just too much fun.  
  
Blue Eyes - to answer your first question, and this is from life experience, Nancy is severely near-sighted, not blind. Things which are about three feet or closer are fairly clear... anything past that is blurry blurry blurry. Second, thanks for the tip on that phrase, although I actually meant it the other way around. Sorry that was confusing! I'm glad you're enjoying this!  
  
Ronsspawn - thanks! The pins were rather inspired...  
  
Joyce and Psiana - thank you so much for the encouragement! Hope you liked this one!  
  
Louisa - thanks for reading! You know it always ends in a cliffhanger! Although, this chapter isn't too bad.  
  
Lily - grinning like a fool is a requirement. That, and of course making you swoon!  
  
Carrie - do be careful! All that swooning can be dangerous. Especially if you THUD instead of swoon!  
  
Karen - you want Percy? Hee hee. Well, he is a Weasley. And there's just something about those red heads!  
  
Zoe - nothing to fear. No one is going to take Snape away from you! He's all yours! 


	9. Security to the quidditch field!

A/N - we're really trying to get this out. it's been giving us FITS. Sorry not to mention all the reviewers this time! Not enough time. but THANK YOU and we'll get you next chapter!  
  
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Jenni pulled down the covers and slipped into the bed. She could still hear the noise from the party going on through the opened window as a slight breeze ruffled the curtains. Her cheeks were still flushed from Bill's... suggestive earlier comment. She knew he was only teasing of course, but something in his voice sent shivers down her back. She felt her cheeks grow hotter even as she tried to push his smooth voice and those blue eyes from her thoughts. It didn't work. She couldn't stop thinking of him. Resigning herself to dreams of Bill, Jenni let out a small sigh and glanced over at Nancy. She noticed Charlie's arms draped protectively around her friend, but avoided looking at his face, not sure yet how she felt about all that had happened. At the very least, however, Nancy was safe and sleeping soundly. On a sigh, she closed her eyes, satisfied for tonight.  
  
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Bill stared up at the ceiling down in the living room, having explained the situation to his intrigued mother. He knew it was useless to try and sleep right now. It wouldn't quiet down until the party was over and all the guests went home. Hell, he admitted, he wouldn't have been able to fall asleep even if there had been complete silence at the Burrow - not with the thoughts of a certain brunette that kept racing through his mind. He grinned, remembering her face flushing a deep red at his naughty comeback. Whoever had said that red heads had the worst tempers had obviously never MET Jenni Ferguson. Bill sighed, settling in on the lumpy couch. He wished tonight had been different. Not that it had been a waste, but he would have liked to be enjoying the party with Jenni by his side instead of watching her worry. His face turned serious as he considered how easily she had followed his lead during their conversation with his mother... it was so unlike her. Thinking about that conversation led to other memories, and Bill's last thought before falling asleep was how RIGHT her head had felt resting against his chest.  
  
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Charlie sighed. He could hear the party wrapping up outside. A familiar whine made him hurry to cover Nancy's ears before the filibuster fireworks exploded in the sky, drawing an "oooooh" from the slowly departing guests. He glanced down at her, slowly removing his hands from her ears. She hadn't moved a centimeter since she'd fallen asleep so suddenly. His left leg was completely numb, and despite the pillow his mother had handed him, something was digging into his right shoulder blade. A soft snore drew his attention over to Jenni, who was draped across Bill's bed almost primly, as though trying to protest her placement even in her sleep. He couldn't restrain a grin, his brother was going to have one hell of a chase, but if their few good moments had been any indication, it would be well worth it. Charlie just hoped that Bill was able to get the transfer he'd asked for from Gringotts. Shifting slightly, he eased some of the pressure on his shoulder. Ah, that was better. Nothing he could do about that leg right now, he thought ruefully as he leaned his head back against the wall and closed his eyes. Within moments he was slipping into sleep, flashes of curly brown hair and laughing eyes haunting his dreams.  
  
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Jenni was awakened by a noise at the door. She looked up through a mound of blankets and pillows and saw a rather small boy with dark hair standing in the doorway. She sat there for a moment, confused and trying to remember just exactly where she was. It slowly came back to her - the party Bill had invited them to, Nancy getting sick, their decision to stay overnight. Satisfied with that, her eyes focused on the person in the doorway. Bill had said his name was... Harry?  
  
"Sorry," he said, noticing her suddenly. "I didn't mean to wake you up."  
  
"S'ok. Is something wrong?" Jenni muttered through a yawn, squinting at the bright sunlight through the opened window.  
  
"No," he quickly shook his head. "I just can't find my broomstick and I thought maybe Bill or Charlie had seen it." He paused for a second, looking rather uncomfortable, and ran a hand through his messy black hair, giving Jenni a full view of his forehead and the lightening scar on it. Her jaw dropped. He shrugged in her direction. "I'll... I'll go ask Fred or George. They might know where it is."  
  
Jenni watched as... yes, it had to be Harry POTTER... he ducked out of the room. Falling back on the pillows, she turned to the bed where Nancy had been sleeping. Charlie was only just beginning to stir. Heavy sleeper, she thought with a grin, while deciding that Bill would never have slept through an entire conversation. Wait... where did that come from? Shaking her head to get her thoughts straight, she finally focused on the other side of the room, and sat straight up, alarmed.  
  
"Where's Nancy?" she asked - the reason for their overnight stay was NOT where she should be.  
  
Charlie sat up slowly, blinking through the fog of sleep and letting Jenni's words sink in. He looked around a bit distractedly. "She was here all night. Maybe she had to.."  
  
"You don't know where she is?" Jenni flung the blankets off and jumped out of bed, making her way towards Charlie. "She was in the same bed as you and you don't know where she is? She was sick and pale, and she's gotten so thin and weak and you let her slip out without noticing?"  
  
"I was asleep." Charlie stopped mid-stretch to stutter out his excuses, hoping that Jenni didn't have her wand handy. "If I would have known she was going to wake up I would have stayed awake all night."  
  
Jenni advanced threateningly, "You should have stayed awake anyway. Made sure she was ok, and if she woke up then you would have known. Then, she wouldn't have wandered off."  
  
Charlie stood up suddenly, and Jenni realized that he was quite a large man, despite being so much shorter than Bill. He glared at her. "Wandered off? ME stay awake? Why didn't YOU stay awake? If you know how prone to wandering off she is then how come YOU didn't keep an eye on her?"  
  
Jenni was caught off guard as Charlie rounded on her. "And may I remind you," he continued, "that while you were sleeping comfortably, I was using a headboard for a pillow, my leg had gone COMPLETELY numb, and I was forced to stay absolutely still for almost 9 hours because I wanted to make sure Nancy was able to sleep undisturbed." He waited for her to answer him with some sort of snippy remark. When none was forthcoming, he sighed and ran a hand through his messy hair. "Now, if you want to help me find Nancy, you can start by checking the kitchen downstairs while I check the bedrooms upstairs. Can you handle that?"  
  
Jenni watched as Charlie stalked out of the room. She felt a bit ashamed of her outburst, and not knowing what else to do, headed down to the kitchen. Jenni felt a sickening weight in the pit of her stomach as she surveyed the empty room. Hearing footsteps on the stairs, Jenni turned hoping to see Nancy following behind Charlie. However, one look at his face told her he had been unsuccessful as well. With a groan at the sight of her sitting alone, Charlie turned around and headed back to his room.  
  
He emerged a few minutes later, having changed out of his wrinkled robes from last night. Jenni glared at him from where she was slumped down in a nearby chair, wishing she had a change of clothes. He tossed her a bundle, saying, "These are Mum's. She a little different size than you two, but... I figure if we have to launch a search, we shouldn't be dealing with robes."  
  
Jenni was just coming out of the bedroom when Charlie's head came up sharply. "Did you hear that?"  
  
"Hear what?" She started down the stairs.  
  
Charlie held a hand up to stop Jenni from talking. "Listen. I think I heard Nancy."  
  
Straining her ears, Jenni heard several voices coming from outside. Bounding past Charlie, she headed out the door and towards them.  
  
She was moving so fast that she didn't even see the long, lean redhead stretched out on the grass in front of the field. He gave her a startled look as she walked past him, her face fixed on the blur that was Nancy. Bill was just scrambling up to stop Jenni from walking out onto the Quidditch field when Charlie caught his arm and swung him around. He had noticed just WHERE Nancy was, and began venting his rather bottled up feelings about being stupid enough to trust a girl on a broomstick after... It didn't take long before Bill was defending himself rather loudly.  
  
Not having anyone to stop her, Jenni ran straight onto the playing area and yelled at the top of her lungs, "NANCY!!!!"  
  
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"NANCY!!!!"  
  
Jenni's shrill cry cut through the jovial atmosphere above the field. Nancy paused, batting away a bludger without really looking at it as she scanned the ground below her for her friend, wondering what could be wrong NOW. Fred and George flew over to her, grinning.  
  
"You really are one hell of a beater," Fred said admiringly. "Glad Bill took the time to set up the enchantments so we could bring out the real deal bludgers."  
  
"Never did figure out why you were bumped for us in second year..." George added thoughtfully.  
  
She glanced at them, after finally spotting Jenni running through the grass towards their game. "Oh, it was because I have a tendency to get distracted and... JENNI! What are you DOING?"  
  
The twins looked at each other as she sped off, confused. "And what, I wonder..." George muttered.  
  
Nancy didn't answer, she was focused on the small, angry form of Jenni. The small, angry form that was about to get brained by a bludger and didn't even know it. The yells she heard from behind her indicated that the twins had caught onto her worries, but she knew that the borrowed Firebolt she rode was the only one capable of reaching her stubborn friend fast enough.  
  
Jenni looked up as Nancy approached her at a breakneck speed. "What are you DOING? Trying to kill me?" she yelled out, her eyes widening as Nancy yelled "DUCK!!" and swung her beater's club hard.  
  
All five pairs of eyes that did not belong to Jenni Ferguson were watching the bludger as Nancy swung. Bill took off at a run for the field, and Charlie, recovering a moment later, stopped berating his brother and followed. As her club connected with the vicious ball and sent it hurtling towards the twins, all four onlookers let out a sigh of relief. Nancy let out a loud squeal, feeling herself slipping off of her perch on the fast- moving Firebolt, and Jenni didn't make a sound, just stayed crouched near the ground.  
  
The next moment seemed to go in horrible slow motion for Charlie. He could tell that Nancy was over-extended, she'd never get her balance back on the broom, not at that speed. Putting on a burst of speed, he was still a good twenty feet away when she tumbled to the ground with a thud.  
  
As he reached her, he saw her lift her head slightly and mutter, "Oh bloody hell. I did it again." Charlie knelt down to see if she was hurt, and was surprised to see his hands shaking. He forced them to steady with sheer willpower and ran them lightly over her arms and legs, before lifting her head.  
  
"Do you think next time you could just tell her to duck?" he whispered so that only she could hear. By this point, Bill had reached them, and Charlie could hear his younger brothers landing over where they had left the family Quidditch chest to force the bludgers back inside. Her eyes came open, and she promptly rolled them at him, saying, "Would YOU have done that?"  
  
There were more footsteps behind him, and glancing back he saw Harry and Ron approaching at a run with matching concerned expressions, Harry carrying the Firebolt that Nancy had just tumbled off of. He ventured one more private remark before the rest of the group convened around them. "Well of course not, but... it's different." He paused at her glare, and muttered, "at least you don't seem too hurt."  
  
"Oh, of COURSE she doesn't seem hurt!" Jenni's voice startled the five Weasleys, all the children Arthur and Molly had besides Percy and Ginny, and Harry jumped. She was standing just to Charlie's right, glaring furiously down at her best friend. "God forbid that she should show WEAKNESS to those who care about her!"  
  
Charlie and Bill both shot Jenni warning looks that she brushed aside. "Nancy, don't you ever stop to think about how your actions will affect others?"  
  
"Jenni," Nancy's voice was tired, and she sounded as though she'd had this discussion before. "It was just a little quidditch."  
  
"And do you really want me to list how many times before 'just a little quidditch' has gotten you seriously hurt?" Fred and George exchanged a surprised look, and opened their mouths to speak, but Jenni was not paying attention to the people around her. All of her worries were pouring out, and she couldn't have stopped them if she'd tried. "Not to mention that you're just getting over being seriously sick. Which you LIED to me about for the last TWO weeks! You told me nothing was wrong, that your stomach was only a little upset. How could you hide something like that from me? I thought we were supposed to be friends? Friends help each other, they don't hide things with lies."  
  
"I never lied." The rest of the group held their breaths uncomfortably as Nancy and Jenni seemed to forget their presence. "I wasn't going to tell you something you couldn't DEAL with. I mean, you flip out if I touch a broom... how am I supposed to discuss..."  
  
Jenni interrupted her angrily. "And that's another thing! Here everyone has been worried sick about you. Mrs. Weasley was kind enough to let us stay here while you were getting better and you return her kindness with this little stunt!" At this, Fred tried again to say something, only to be waved aside by Jenni, who was in no mood for second opinions. She sneered bitterly, "I suppose having a ride with your idol Charlie Weasley wasn't enough... you decided to steal Harry Potter's broomstick to see how another legend flew?"  
  
Nancy wasn't yet angry enough that she didn't flush a deep red at this remark, suddenly very aware of their audience. 'Oh god... Harry POTTER'S broom?' she thought desperately, glancing at the small boy who was holding the Firebolt now.  
  
"Jenni! You... I didn't..." she was too embarrassed to form a sentence, and Jenni, who was having no such problem, cut in again.  
  
"When are you going to GROW UP and realize the world does not revolve around you? For once in your life, would it be too much to ask to show a little consideration for other people's feelings?"  
  
That was the last straw. Nancy pulled herself up off the ground, shrugging off Charlie's help, and gave in to her bottled up temper.  
  
"For your INFORMATION, Jennifer, most of what I do is sit around and consider your feelings! And my parents feelings! And... well pretty much anyone's but my own! And I'm sorry if you're so busy being angry that you're not a much better witch than I am anymore and so you don't have time to notice that. But some people don't look at me as an eleven year old kid to boss around, and I LIKE THAT!"  
  
Jenni's eyes narrowed dangerously, and the twins and younger boys took a step back. Bill and Charlie were frozen, completely taken aback by the vicious exchange.  
  
"I DO NOT look at you as an eleven year old kid. In case you don't remember," Jenni spat out, "I was the only one who ever took you seriously. I stood up for you so many damn times. I thought our friendship meant more to you than this. I can't even talk to you anymore without thinking you're hiding something from me."  
  
Nancy rolled her eyes. "You say that... I mean, sure, I don't LOOK eleven anymore... but then you go off and lecture me like some overprotective mother! Don't you TRUST me to tell you what's really important?"  
  
"I DO trust you. But I'm beginning to wonder if you realize just what is important and what isn't. And, for that matter, WHO. Your BEST FRIEND still doesn't even know why you were so sick." With that, Jenni shot an angry look around the group, implying that everyone but herself knew this information. Nancy just groaned.  
  
"Oh, what does it matter? All you would do is worry yourself sick and yell at me that I should have done some things that I couldn't do!"  
  
"Couldn't? Or wouldn't? Like you won't let me be a friend. Or maybe that's it. You don't want me for a friend anymore?"  
  
"Or maybe you've never really wanted ME!"  
  
Nancy could feel the tears start as she waited in the silence for some sort of denial. But Jenni was too angry and too hurt to open her mouth, and after a moment in which all of the Weasleys looked at each other in silent shock, she whirled and started off. Before she had gone more than a few steps, however, she paused and looked straight at Harry.  
  
"It's nice to... meet you, and I'm so sorry I worried you about your broom. I didn't know..." Everyone but Jenni was staring at her, and Harry was red- faced. Nancy burst into tears and then ran towards the house. Jenni strode off, deeper into the field.  
  
There was a nervous pause as the five redheads and Harry tried to figure out what to do next. Charlie felt paralyzed, and Bill was still reeling at the venom in Jenni's voice. Fred and George spoke first.  
  
"We'll just... the balls, you know," murmured Fred, gesturing towards the battered chest which held the Weasley Quidditch supplies. He grabbed one end, and George was reaching for the other when he finally said what he'd been trying to say since the beginning of the fight.  
  
"It was our idea, you know. We... we borrowed your broom, Harry. Didn't know it would be so... such a big deal." He flinched when Charlie glared at him.  
  
"Bloody brilliant as always, boys," he snapped, before visibly regaining control of his emotions. He was exhausted and worried, and didn't like the turn this visit had taken in the least. He watched the two twins head off to the house with the chest in tow before turning to a very fidgety Harry and Ron.  
  
"Listen. What they said... they didn't... I mean," he sighed and looked to Bill, who was staring broodingly at Jenni's back. When the brothers' eyes met, Bill turned to the two boys and finished Charlie's thought for him.  
  
"There was a lot of anger here, and none of it was meant for you, Harry." He gave a rather sad laugh. "Despite what you were privileged to see, they're both really..."  
  
"Wonderful." Charlie jumped in and finished his sentence. Harry nodded, and Ron sighed.  
  
"You two WOULD have to pick girls that can match the Weasleys for temper and pride, wouldn't you?" Shrugging helplessly back at him, Charlie let the ghost of a smile drift onto his face as the two fifteen-year olds trudged off. He glanced at Bill.  
  
"Are you going to stay out here?" he nodded towards the back that Bill had been staring at so intently.  
  
There was a pause, and then Bill shook his head. "No. I think she needs to cool off."  
  
Charlie raised his eyebrows but didn't say anything as they walked back to the house.  
  
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Half an hour later, Charlie was not nearly so calm. He had gone to his room, alone, expecting to find a very upset and emotional Nancy collapsed somewhere nearby. When she wasn't there, an uneasy feeling started in the pit of his stomach. He forced it down and headed to the bathroom, but a quick knock revealed that Percy was busy getting ready for work. He took a few seconds to rib his brother about working on a Saturday and then went back downstairs.  
  
After he'd asked Ginny, Hermione, Harry and Ron if they'd seen Nancy after the argument and received all negatives, Charlie's uneasy feeling had expanded. By the time he tracked down the twins he was downright nervous.  
  
"Fred! Open up!" He was presently pounding on their bedroom door. "I'm not here to yell at you two, just open up."  
  
"What, you think we're idiots, Captain Dragon?" one of them yelled out.  
  
"I need your help. This is serious."  
  
The door cracked just barely, and with a carefully timed push, Charlie had it swinging open and George was sprawled out on the floor, glaring at him.  
  
"I hate it when you do that."  
  
Charlie shrugged, and got straight to the point.  
  
"Hiding places. In the Burrow. I've checked all the ones I can think of..."  
  
Two identical pairs of eyes widened. "What happened?"  
  
Charlie ran a frustrated hand through his hair and owned up to what had been gnawing at him ever since he hadn't found Nancy curled up on his bed.  
  
"I can't find her. I'm worried that she might have... gone off somewhere without thinking." He gritted his teeth. "But I'm HOPING she just decided to find somewhere private in the Burrow to calm down."  
  
"Aren't many of those..." George said uncertainly.  
  
"But we'll help!" Fred added. "Our fault, after all."  
  
Charlie grimaced. "It's not your fault. Nancy knew what she was doing, and I hadn't bothered to tell the rest of you just what was wrong..." he sighed, and leaned his forehead against the wall.  
  
George patted his shoulder. "We'll find her, Charlie. Come on."  
  
They split up, with Charlie combing the house from top to bottom again, and the twins searching some of the better-hidden spots on the Weasley property. When they reconvened, they were all empty-handed. Charlie put on a brave face and told the boys that he was sure she'd make her presence known when she was ready, before heading into the living room to flop down next to Bill, who was staring sightlessly at the wall.  
  
"Can't find her?" Bill's voice was sympathetic.  
  
"It's like she..." Charlie stopped himself and swallowed, before saying what had probably happened. "... disappeared."  
  
"Disapparated more likely." Bill glanced at his brother's stormy face, and sighed. "Jenni probably knows. What Nancy would do, I mean."  
  
He saw his brother's head come up. "Really? You think? But..." Charlie jumped up and started pacing nervously, "would she tell me?"  
  
Bill leaned his head back against the sofa, taking a deep breath. He'd been sitting here while the search went on, trying to reconcile the sweet fiery girl he liked so much with the vicious and bitter woman he'd just seen attack one of the people dearest to her. He hadn't gotten very far, but he knew he wouldn't without talking to her. No matter how it looked, Jenni deserved the chance to explain herself to him, Bill decided. He just needed to know that it had been anger speaking, and not Jenni.  
  
Releasing the breath he'd been holding, Bill stood up. "Well, lets go ask."  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Jenni was furious. This was all Nancy's fault! If she had only stayed in bed like a normal sick person instead of stealing brooms and playing Quidditch, none of this would have happened. Jenni wanted to scream. Better yet, she wanted to hit something. Hard.  
  
Instead she started pacing the field. What did Nancy think she would prove by running off and hiding? Jenni turned to walk back in the opposite direction when she found herself face to face with Bill and Charlie.  
  
"What does a person have to do to be left alone in this bloody place?" She glared at the two Weasleys, Bill looking unsure of what to say and Charlie looking extremely anxious and worried.  
  
"What is it now?" Jenni asked sarcastically. "Did Nancy fall down the stairs and hurt her little toe?"  
  
"We can't FIND her!" Charlie blurted the statement out in an uncharacteristically agitated state.  
  
Jenni stared. "You came all the way out here to tell me you can't find Nancy?"  
  
Bill sighed, "What Charlie means is that, we've looked everywhere. She's not at the Burrow. We were hoping you might be able to tell us where she would have gone."  
  
Jenni snorted. "Where else? To that damn tree."  
  
Charlie looked up with a hopeful gleam in his eyes. "What tree?"  
  
"The damn tree she always sat in for hours and hours in the forbidden forest. She's bleeding lucky she never got caught sneaking out there."  
  
"Jenni!" Bill's voice was sharp, and made her turn to look at him. "Save it, and tell us where the tree is."  
  
"She's not strong enough to run around like this," Charlie's soft comment was just audible to Jenni but it made her grimace.  
  
"Like that's ever mattered to her." Catching Bill's glare, she shrugged, trying to act as though she really didn't give a damn either way. "I've never seen it. Some... willow, I think. Hagrid would know."  
  
The two brothers shared a glance, and then Charlie disapparated with a *pop* and a small smile. Bill sighed.  
  
"I've got to go tell..." he stopped when he realized that Jenni was trying not to pay attention to him and rolled his eyes. "I'll be right back." 


	10. Damage Control and Love Letters

A/N - Well, THIS one went MUCH faster. Hmmm. Wonder why. Something about... ah well, you'll all figure it out, I'm sure.  
  
And guess what? EVERYONE who reviewed 8 AND 9 gets mentioned at the bottom! So, Happy Reading! (and we do not own anything except the people you've never met in JKR's books... of course)  
  
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When he apparated into Hogsmeade, Charlie felt nostalgia hit him hard in the gut. 'Must be all the worry,' he thought idly as he started off for Hogwarts, 'it's leaving me open to all sorts of emotions.'  
  
It was odd to see the school so empty. He skirted the still unpleasant prospect of being escorted by Filch by ducking into another corridor just before Mrs. Norris turned the corner. Footsteps echoing in the hallways, he followed a path to the grounds that his feet seemed to have memorized, despite that he hadn't walked it in eight years or so. Within minutes, he found himself looking out at the lake, the whomping willow (which seemed a bit larger and more menacing than it had when he was in school) and... Hagrid's hut.  
  
Charlie felt a grin form as he approached his old friend's home. He and Hagrid had always shared a passion, the huge gamekeeper being the only one who had understood his fascination with the most dangerous creatures in the wizarding world. He'd have to make sure to stop by after he found Nancy for a real chat.  
  
To his surprise, the door opened as he approached and the familiar bushy head stuck itself out. "Well, if it ain't Charlie Weasley! Quite a day we're 'aving, eh? I don't suppose yer 'ere about... oh, well, I wasn't s'posed to say, now was I?"  
  
Charlie closed the distance and gave the large man a quick hug. "I suppose she told you that you couldn't tell anyone with red hair where she'd gone?"  
  
Hagrid shot him an intrigued look. "Summat like that, yes."  
  
"Well..." Charlie paused for a minute, before breaking into a grin. "I'll be right back, then."  
  
Hagrid looked confused as Charlie ducked outside the cabin. He murmured a quick "Brunendium" and walked back in. Hagrid started chuckling.  
  
"Now I have brown hair, so quick, tell me, before it turns back. You know the Weasley hair... doesn't much take to any changes."  
  
Hagrid was about two minutes into his explanations as to where Nancy would be when Charlie caught a word he had NOT expected.  
  
"A WHOMPING willow?" He ran a hand through his hair, which was turning into a very autumny blend of red and brown. "Hagrid... and you KNEW about this?"  
  
Hagrid had the grace to look a bit ashamed. "Well, yeh know... at first, it was so little... and she cried and cried, I mean, what was I s'posed ter do?"  
  
Charlie swallowed all of his answers to that question, knowing that Hagrid was entirely outside reason when it came to pets of any sort. "Yes but... it's got to be... I mean, how big?"  
  
"No more'n ten, twelve feet, I'd expect." Hagrid measured out to about his neck, and Charlie groaned. He was NOT the tallest of the Weasleys, and if Nancy decided... better not to think about it right now.  
  
"All right, well I've got to go and get her. So, I head east after I see the..."  
  
He and Hagrid went over the directions one last time and Charlie set off.  
  
"Good luck!" Hagrid called after him, and then the big man winked. "And congrats to yeh! Always did like that Nancy Gwin!"  
  
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
Jenni winced at the coldness in Bill's voice as she turned to watch him leave. She threw a glare after him, still blaming Nancy for everything that was going wrong. Not knowing what to do or where to go Jenni sat down in the open field and pulled her knees up under her chin. She was angrily pulling up grass when she heard footsteps approaching.  
  
"Go away." Her voice was low but the anger was still there.  
  
Bill sighed. He was going to have his work cut out for him if he wanted to get a civilized conversation started. "Jenni, will you at least talk to me?"  
  
"I don't want to talk. I want to be left alone. I'm sorry if you don't understand that Billy Boy." The sarcasm was dripping from Jenni's voice and that last comment sent Bill over the edge.  
  
"Look, I've had just about enough of your attitude lately! I don't know why you insist on being so harsh to Nancy, but don't take out your anger on me." Bill's voice had a menacing tone to it that only angered Jenni more.  
  
"Don't you DARE lecture me about my attitude!" Jenni stood suddenly, coming toe to toe with the much taller Bill. "You have NO idea what I have been through the past two weeks. I constantly worried and fretted over Nancy, wondering what she was hiding!"  
  
Bill watched Jenni as all the anger she had been harboring slowly melted away and tears began to form in her eyes.  
  
Jenni was oblivious to the tears flowing freely down her face as she let out what had really been nagging at her since she realized Nancy had seriously been hurt. "You have know idea how hard it is to find out your best friend has been lying to you. I have NEVER lied to her once! And she repays me like this? What if..." Jenni's voice broke as she fought to control her sobs.  
  
In one quick motion Bill's arms were wrapped around her.  
  
"Let go of me!" Jenni fought to push away from him, punching furiously and trying to back off only to be held tighter. Finally unable to fight any longer, Jenni gave in. She clung to Bill soaking his shirt with her tears.  
  
"Why... why didn't she let me... help her?" Jenni managed to choke out between sobs.  
  
"I don't know, Jenni." Bill spoke softly. "I don't know." He felt a knot growing in the pit of his stomach as he held Jenni, listening to the hurt in her voice as she spoke. It didn't help that her heart wrenching sobs had caught him off guard. He released her slowly as he felt her shoulders stop shaking and she drew a deep, shaky breath. Stepping back, he placed his hands on Jenni's shoulders. "Are you alright?"  
  
Jenni nodded slowly, dropping her gaze. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Bill gently cupped Jenni's face with his hands and wiped away a tear with his thumb.  
  
She continued talking. "I don't know what came over me. I've just been so worried lately and I just got so angry, and I said all of those things about Nancy, and Charlie... and..." Jenni stopped short and stared. She put a hand to her mouth as she realized just how badly she reacted. "You must... I mean... after what I said..." Jenni turned away, ashamed of her actions from earlier.  
  
Bill reached forward to tuck a stray piece of hair behind her ear. "Why don't we talk inside?" She nodded and followed him back to the house.  
  
Bill glanced over his shoulder at the small woman behind him. She looked more like a little girl at that moment with her head bent forward as she trudged across the lawn. There had been an expressionless look on her face for the last couple of minutes that worried Bill. He held the door open and watched as Jenni sat on the edge of the couch facing the fireplace.  
  
She took a deep, ragged breath and stared at the floor. In the silence the words she had yelled at Nancy came back to her. She could never remember saying anything like that to Nancy, ever. No matter what crazy stunt Nancy had pulled she had always been able to laugh it off. She remembered the hurt look Nancy had given her as she accused her of not wanting her for a friend anymore. Placing her head in her hands, Jenni felt the tears forming again. Just as the sobs were taking over for more than the first time, she felt Bill sit down next to her, his arms wrapping around her once again. Unable to control her emotions, Jenni let the flood of tears escape as Bill held her, resting his cheek against the top of her head.  
  
As he cradled her, Bill came to realize that her anger had only been to mask just how hurt she had actually been at finding out that her best friend had lied to her and refused her help. After a few minutes, he pulled away slowly and whispered, "Jenni, look at me."  
  
Jenni lifted her eyes which were now very red and puffy. Not trusting herself to speak she waited for Bill to continue, trying to choke back her sobs.  
  
"I want you to stop crying. Please."  
  
Jenni closed her eyes as Bill's fingertips brushed away the remaining tears on her cheeks. When she opened them again he was smiling warmly. "Isn't that better?" He asked softly.  
  
Jenni nodded her head slightly, her lower lip trembling. "I've acted terribly. I should have never brought Charlie and Harry's name into that... conversation I had with Nancy. It was so wrong."  
  
Jenni waited for Bill's reply. She was sure that a large part of Bill's anger was directed at that comment. A good part of her remorse was. "Well," he started slowly. "We can't go back and change the past."  
  
"I was wrong. I should apologize to Charlie and Harry."  
  
"You need to talk to Nancy as well."  
  
Jenni sighed. "I know. But I also know that she won't talk to me. And I can't say that I blame her."  
  
"You know this isn't your fault."  
  
"My fault or not, doesn't make what I did right. I'm old enough to know that harsh accusations won't solve anything." Jenni paused. "I also know that Nancy can be stubborn when she's angry. She won't forgive me so easily." Jenni shook her head slowly. "We've never had a fight before. I mean we argue a bit here and there, but never like this. Never accused the other of not wanting to be friends."  
  
Bill pulled Jenni back into his arms. "I'm sure every thing will work out between you two."  
  
The two of them were sitting quietly, their thoughts their own, when footsteps were heard coming down the steps. Jenni promptly buried her face in Bill's shirt. Whoever it was, she didn't want them to see her tear streaked face and puffy eyes.  
  
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Charlie approached at a run, worry making him slightly breathless. There it was, a whomping willow that was only about twice his height, just like Hagrid had promised. But where was she?  
  
"Nancy!" He tried to get closer, only to have the willow awaken with an angry start. Dodging its lethal branches, he wove in and out, trying to get past.  
  
"Nancy, are you here?" Suddenly the tree went still. Charlie froze, gripping his wand, uncertain as to what was happening.  
  
"What do YOU want?"  
  
He searched the area for the source of her voice, his heart lifting to know that he was that close, and that she was all right. "Where are you?"  
  
"You don't have to tell me she's right. I know she's right. That's not the point." Her voice wavered as though she was in pain, and his heart stopped, only to start again as he spotted the small feet dangling down through the branches.  
  
"You're sitting ON TOP of a whomping willow?" The feet retracted out of sight.  
  
"Dammit. You had to be a bloody seeker, didn't you."  
  
He shot his most innocent grin up towards the top of the willow and stepped forward, determined to bring her down and make her see reason, only to find himself facing a threatening wall of clenched branches.  
  
"I wouldn't come any closer if I were you, she's very protective of me."  
  
"Obviously, all your friends are," he muttered, taking a few steps back before asking the obvious question. "How on earth did you manage to befriend a bloody whomping willow?"  
  
"I planted her." Charlie could practically see her mischievous grin. There was obviously a story behind this. Might as well settle in and find out what it was, he thought with a smile. She seemed safe enough for now.  
  
"I was under the impression that not even Hogwarts was crazy enough to let students plant highly dangerous life-forms in the middle of the Forbidden Forest and then visit them..." he made his voice deliberately mocking, in the hopes of getting a rise out of her.  
  
"Oh, HOGWARTS had no IDEA!" There was a pause, and he rolled his eyes, knowing that quite well. "Well, I bet Dumbledore did, he always seems to know it all. But it was just Hagrid."  
  
"You know, I was quite the chum of Hagrid myself, and this doesn't really feel like something he'd do..." Charlie added conversationally.  
  
Nancy peered down from where she was curled up in a nest of branches near the top of the tree. He was still there, still talking to her too. She sighed, scowled, and thought about punching something, before realizing that her tree would most LIKELY punch back.  
  
"Oh come on, if you know Hagrid, then you know what a sucker he is for sob stories involving non-human loved ones." She heard a snort below her and looked over the edge of the branches. How could he be so CHEERFUL after... her mind wandered back to the fight she'd run away from and she sniffed and wiped her eyes.  
  
"Nancy? Are you ok? Come down and talk to me."  
  
"I'm FINE." She wiped her face quickly and put a smile on her face, which was completely illogical as she KNEW he couldn't see her. She heard him sigh deeply and cringed. At least he'd cared enough to follow her. Wait... how HAD he found her?  
  
"Damn Hagrid. Should have known he couldn't keep a secret," she muttered. Charlie let out a laugh.  
  
"Oh, he stuck to the letter of his promise. You did specify redheads, right?" She didn't answer, embarrassed at being so predictable, but he kept going. "Well, when he told me where you were - let's just say, I did NOT have red hair."  
  
Despite herself, Nancy giggled. Picturing ANY of the Weasleys without their signature red hair was downright impossible. "How'd you manage THAT?" she asked, before realizing that he'd wrung a response and a smile out of her without her catching on. "Oh bloody hell. Why can't you leave me alone to mope?"  
  
His voice was unexpectedly serious. "Because, Nancy, I get this funny pain in my chest any time I picture you moping."  
  
'Oh my...' Nancy couldn't breathe. That had to be the most wonderful thing anyone had ever...  
  
"And I used the brunendium charm, only lasts a couple of minutes but it did the trick." The pride in his voice made her giggle, which turned quickly and hopelessly to crying, until the only thing she wanted to do was bury her head in his shirt and sob.  
  
"Let me down," she whispered to the branches wrapped around her. Scrambling down the trunk, trying to see through her wet eyes, she almost cried out in relief when she felt his strong arms pull her close. And then she did sob.  
  
"Sh... she must really hate me!" she gasped out as her tears flowed fast and hot into his shirt. His arms tightened and one hand went up to her hair, stroking it softly.  
  
"Shhhhhh. No one hates you."  
  
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"Oh! Terribly sorry. I didn't realize anyone was down here." Jenni recognized the voice as one of the twins, and she listened as Bill talked to him.  
  
"That's all right." Bill paused. "But, just what exactly are you up to?" The suspicion in his voice caused Jenni to grin slightly. Remembering how Nancy talked about them, Bill had every right to be suspicious.  
  
"Oh, um.well.nothing. I just need to... I'll be back. Later."  
  
Jenni felt Bill pull away from her and walked toward his younger brother. She wiped her eyes quickly, but realized it was pointless as George had his entire focus on Bill. He was trying to edge towards the door and keep whatever was in his hands behind his back hidden.  
  
"George. What are you hiding?"  
  
"I'm not hiding anything. I've just got to.I've got to go." Jenni watched as he swung his arms around and turned to run out the door. However, he wasn't quick enough and Bill snatched what looked like a folded piece of paper from his hands.  
  
"Hey! Give that back!" George bellowed. "That's not something."  
  
Bill's eyes were sparkling and his face broke out into a wide grin as he unfolded the paper. He looked at Jenni with a wink and began reading.  
  
Despite the horrible mood she had been in, Jenni found herself giggling as she watched Bill trying to read while holding off his younger brother. The paper had turned out to be a letter and Bill was having a great time reading it out loud to Jenni.  
  
"Deeeeeear Geeeeeeorge" Bill dragged out each word with exaggerated feeling.  
  
"I'm REALLY sorry I missed the party last night."  
  
Bill grinned at George. "Why didn't you tell me you had a lady friend you were interested in?"  
  
George glared back, turning a brilliant shade of red and renewed his efforts to get the letter as Bill continued reading.  
  
"I was looking forward to spending the evening with YOU and your family." Bill had overemphasized the word 'you' and had to duck as George swung at him.  
  
Jenni watched in amusement as Bill, still reading the letter, ran around the room trying to keep out of reach of his furious younger brother. "I'm REALLY pleased that you invited me. However, we had a family emergency, and I was just unable to attend. Please accept my apology for not being able to owl you SOONER. Sincerely YOURS, Lily."  
  
Bill had ended up standing on the coffee table, an outstretched hand on George's head (who was still standing on the floor) to hold him back, the other hand holding the letter just out of reach. "Lily! That's a cute name. Is her full name Lillian?"  
  
George scowled. "Her name is Lily. Now can I have my letter back?"  
  
"Not yet!" Bill was holding George's letter just out of arm's reach. "I need to know a few things about this lady friend of yours! Like, what's her last name? How did you meet her? Where is."  
  
Bill's interrogation was interrupted by a burst of green flames coming from the fireplace and a very angry Mrs. Weasley appearing. "WILLIAM NATHAN WEASLEY! What are you doing standing on my furniture?"  
  
George shrank back from Bill and his mother. Jenni covered her mouth in shock. And Bill just stood there grinning. "Did you know that George fancies a girl named Lily?"  
  
"I do not fancy her. She's." Realizing he was in a no win situation, George changed the direction of the conversation. "Mum, he's got my letter!"  
  
Mrs. Weasley sighed, "Bill, give whatever you have back to your brother. And for Merlin's sake get off the furniture."  
  
Jenni giggled as Bill stepped off the table still waving the letter just out of George's reach. Just as George reached out to grab the letter, Bill climbed around the table and jumped over the couch, George close behind. Just as Bill rounded the couch and headed towards the stairs, Mrs. Weasley's voice rang out. "Accio Parchment!"  
  
The letter flew out of Bill's hand and into his mothers. "I thought I told you to quit antagonizing your brothers while you were... George... well, I never... I mean..."  
  
Jenni watched as Mrs. Weasley's face changed as she read the parchment she held in her hand. Bill was grinning wickedly, and George had gone completely red again.  
  
Bill walked back to the couch as George followed his mom to the kitchen pleading for his letter the entire time. He felt a warm sensation in his stomach as he watched Jenni laughing. She turned to Bill, "You really shouldn't have embarrassed your brother like that."  
  
He shrugged, a careless grin on his face. "I'll just have to watch my back for the next few days."  
  
Just as Bill sat down Fred came running down the stairs. "Either of you seen George? He was supposed to be gone for only a minute. Stupid git. Must have gotten lost."  
  
Jenni held a hand over her mouth trying to suppress her laughter. However, within seconds her giggles had erupted into a full fit of laughter.  
  
Fred cast a curious glance at Bill, "She all right?"  
  
Bill nodded, fighting the urge to laugh as well. "Yeah, she's fine. Oh, and George is in the kitchen with mum."  
  
"Thanks!" Fred headed off to the kitchen still eyeing Jenni suspiciously.  
  
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Charlie's heart was breaking. He'd given up trying to figure out what it was about this girl that caught and held him like she did, but she was very much under his skin. And to watch her cry like this felt like torture.  
  
She shifted, whimpering, and he sat down slowly, drawing her down onto his lap. Her sobs just kept coming, and he could feel her body heaving with the force of them.  
  
"Nancy... Nancy, calm down. Shhhhhh. I know you're scared, but no one hates you. Jenni doesn't hate you."  
  
He kept talking, just murmuring meaningless words as he rocked her back and forth. He felt the moment her hysterical crying stopped, and she began to slowly quiet, her sobs coming less frequently. She had been holding his shirt in her fisted hands, and her face was buried in his shoulder. Charlie had to admit that he liked having her head there, and with a sigh decided to make sure the experience was repeated without the tears someday.  
  
"Charlie?" Nancy's voice was a whisper, and a scratchy one from the strain of all the tears.  
  
"What, sweetheart?" His hand was stroking her hair again, and he felt her relax into him.  
  
"Why did you come after me?"  
  
The soft question startled him. His first instinct was that she was upset that Jenni hadn't been the one to follow.  
  
"Jenni would have, I'm sure, once she'd calmed down..."  
  
"No. I don't mean..." she lifted her head and met his eyes for the first time since he'd been at her side after the fall from Harry's broom. "What I mean is, why did YOU... I'm trying to say... why are you so worried about me that you'd come and find me?"  
  
Charlie opened his mouth and couldn't find anything to say. He didn't know WHY... he just WAS. It wasn't like he'd thought about it one way or another. It had never crossed his mind to stay at the Burrow and wait for her to show up. He was about to open his mouth again, and probably make a bloody fool of himself trying to explain, when Nancy giggled.  
  
"What?" He looked down at her, hope shining is his eyes, and saw that she was looking... at his hair?  
  
"It's all striped! Brown and red... you really DID change the color for Hagrid?" She was wiping her eyes, and the watery giggles were making them sparkle.  
  
"Well I couldn't make the man go back on his word, now could I?" His grin was wide, and full of the relief of seeing her happy again. And just a little at being able to dodge that rather sticky question.  
  
"Oh, he did anyway. I told him you, specifically." She grinned at his stunned expression. "What? It wasn't like your brothers had any vested interest in running out here looking for me!"  
  
"They better not!" he growled, suddenly agitated. "I'll make them wish they didn't!"  
  
Nancy blinked at him in confusion, and he had the presence of mind to flush. "I mean... er... Hagrid really promised not to tell me?"  
  
She shrugged. "I don't really remember what I said. I was a little upset." His arms tightened around her as she sighed and leaned her head back against his chest.  
  
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked carefully, not wanting to push, but letting her know that she could tell him.  
  
This time her sigh was deeper and more sad. He dropped a kiss on her head and felt her shiver. "Never mind, we should probably head out. I don't really think the best place for either of us is sitting in the middle of the Forbidden Forest."  
  
"I don't mind it so much."  
  
He could feel the flush that rushed to her cheeks after this soft announcement, it was burning through where she was hiding in his shirt. Letting a devilish grin settle onto his face, he tapped her cheek, making her look up at him.  
  
"I never said I wasn't quite happy where I am." Nancy nearly melted into her shoes. How could such dark eyes give off so much HEAT she wondered a bit breathlessly, even as his grin widened. "I'm pretty sure what I said was more along the lines of - my mum will skin me alive if I don't bring you back in one piece and soon."  
  
She couldn't help but smile back. "Have I met your mum?" she whispered a bit squeakily, suddenly VERY aware that they were the only two people in a very large forest, and that she was seated quite snugly in his lap. Her cheeks had to be really pink at this point she thought a bit nervously as she waited for him to answer.  
  
Charlie, quite honestly, hadn't heard the question. He was getting a taste of what this girl was going to put him through, as he was quite literally lost in her wide brown eyes, with no idea as to how to get out. The fact that she had that sweet smile on her face, and was slowly turning pinker and pinker was NOT helping. He blinked once, and saw that she was looking at him with a question in her eyes. Having no idea what it was or how to answer her, he sighed and did the only thing he could think of. He leaned in and kissed her.  
  
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Bill let out a soft chuckle as he watched Fred's retreating form. He turned to Jenni who was trying to control her giggles, "So, how are you feeling?"  
  
Jenni looked up catching Bill's eyes. "I'm much better now. Thank you."  
  
Bill felt something stir inside of him as Jenni smiled at him. He reached forward and ran his thumb gently down the side of her face and rested his hand on her cheek.  
  
Jenni felt her face flush as Bill's hand lingered. She looked down, trying hard to avoid those eyes that made her forget to breath, and cause her heart to beat incredibly fast. Willing herself not to think about what she was feeling at this particular moment, Jenni forced her thoughts back to Nancy and let out a deep sigh.  
  
Bill's voice broke through her thoughts and his hand moved from her cheek to grasp her hand. "How are you really feeling?" he asked.  
  
"I just." Jenni paused looking out of an opened window. "I just hope Charlie finds Nancy, so that I can apologize to her." She didn't resist when he pulled her into his arms. Leaning against his chest she listened to the rumble of his voice as he spoke.  
  
"If I know my brother, he won't come back until he finds her." He held Jenni, letting a hand run through her hair. She had seemed to accept his statement, and he inwardly hoped his brother wouldn't prove him wrong. "But you do realize, Nancy is a grown woman and able to take care of herself don't you?"  
  
Jenni sat up. "Take care of herself? Bill, look at."  
  
Bill stopped her by putting a finger to her mouth. "Jenni, listen to me. What is the one thing that Nancy hates the most? I can tell you what it is just from hearing the two of you arguing earlier."  
  
Jenni sighed. "She hates being treated like a child. But I never.."  
  
"Never INTENTIONALLY treated her like a child." Bill's voice was soft as he continued her sentence. "Jenni, I know you care about Nancy, but maybe what she needed was a friend and not another mum."  
  
Jenni's shoulders dropped, "You're right."  
  
Bill moved his finger away from her mouth and grinned. "Of course I'm right."  
  
Jenni looked up as the brush of his fingers moving from her mouth to her cheek caused her to blush. His grin faded as he stared into her eyes. She caught herself wondering whether he was aware of the loud beating of her heart, as Bill's face was only inches away from hers. His voice was barely a whisper, "Weasleys are always right."  
  
Before Jenni had a chance to respond to THAT, Bill's lips were against hers and her indignant thoughts were forgotten in the heat of his kiss.  
  
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A/N - AAAAAAAND CUT! Hee hee. Gotta save something for chapter 11!  
  
Blue eyes - Ah, the bickering. Unfortunately, as some really famous guy once said in this really great play... the course of true love ne'er did run smooth. ;) Well, as I'm about to assure a few other people, and as I hope you noticed in this chapter, we WILL be seeing a bit less sniping soon.  
  
Cake Twins - FANKS! Hee hee. And you both know that I will be checking for moooooore! Fred and Oliver ROCK!  
  
Louisa - our ever faithful reader!  
  
Jetstream -- YES! Older Weasleys!! :) Yes we thought they were quite worthy of their own story!  
  
Joyce - We post em as we write em! And lately, that's been quickly! Glad you're enjoying!  
  
LittleWolf - Hello! Nice to see someone who appreciates a woman with spirit! :) And we're both quite fond of our Bill and Charlie... and both of us appreciate the vote of confidence!  
  
Fracindy - As requested, Chapter 10!!! :) Write faster? Well, we're trying but as you know, a good story takes time to develop the right plot. Thanks for all the compliments! Glad you liked it! Hope you swooned lots and lots this time!  
  
Karen - distractions are what we do best!  
  
Zoe - Dear dear zoe. Jenni and I would like to offer our deepest condolences for any undue worry chapter nine left you with. And we both hope that the payoff in this was worth the fight. We think it was. ;)  
  
Heather - Hello! Nice to meet you! Thanks for reading! And I'm sure Mrs. Snape will be quite glad to hear that she was a favorite part! :)  
  
Now... to all you people who are reading and NOT leaving little notes, just click that button and type BOO. We'd appreciate it. ;) 


	11. What WOULD your Mum say?

Psiana - AH yes!! We do our best to make those British guys sound hot!  
  
Star_bright25 - always love to see a new fan!! Thanks for reading. (And Nancy would just like to say that she quite likes Charlie too... ;) )  
  
Lily - So glad you enjoyed George and his moment of embarrassment over his "Lady Friend"!!!! (wink, wink)  
  
Little Wolf - Men like Bill and Charlie! We were just asking ourselves that very same question just the other day while working on this new chapter. (We're still looking)  
  
Fracindy - You better watch what you say about Charlie! We wouldn't want Percy to get jealous now would we???  
  
Heather - Awww, thanks! We were quite proud of the whomping willow bit. How's this for hurrying? :)  
  
Zoe - one can never have too much chocolate! And by the way..Snape is mentioned again.just for you!!  
  
Cake Twins - Marion and Carrie!! Woo hoo! Thanks for reading. still waiting for more sexy Oliver and Fred story!  
  
Melissa - And a great big BOO to you too! :o)  
  
Dead SEXY - Wow.posting 24/7? Well, we work on it about that much. Or at least it feels like it. Unfortunately some chapters are harder than others, and some just seem to flow really well.  
  
Karen - glad you're enjoying the story, and don't worry about the posting problem! It's been fixed!  
  
Louisa - Always reading! Thanks for all the late night encouragement you give to us while working on these chapters!!  
  
Blue Eyes - This chapter made your day? WOW!! So glad people are actually enjoying this story.  
  
Ronsspawn - Ha Ha!! You are first person who has said that we write too fast! Everyone else tells us to write faster!  
  
Pink Panther - Don't worry! The tempers will be dealt with! Just hang in there! It will get better! (Although, we wouldn't want our heroines without that bit of spunk, now would we? MUCH too boring...)  
  
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Before Jenni had a chance to respond to THAT, Bill's lips were against hers and her indignant thoughts were forgotten in the heat of his kiss.  
  
Bill had expected her to pull back, but was pleasantly surprised when he felt her hands reach up to his face and return the kiss. The hand that had been lingering on her cheek moved slowly and rested just behind her head, his other arm slid around her waist and pulled her closer.  
  
Jenni had responded without thinking. Her hands, which seemed to have a mind of their own, had found their way to Bill's face. The touch of his hand on her face had sent a jolt of electricity through her skin and she found herself returning his kiss with more feeling then she had expected. As he pulled her closer, Jenni marveled at the strength of his arms, and yet how gentle his touch was.  
  
Bill pulled back slowly, his eyes never leaving Jenni's face. He watched with a sinking feeling as she lowered her eyes, her face turning a deep red. "Jenni, I'm sorry."  
  
Jenni's head bounced up, "For what?"  
  
"I shouldn't have.I mean."  
  
Jenni smiled as Bill struggled for words. "I'm not sorry."  
  
Bill breathed a silent sigh of relief and cast a devilish grin at Jenni. "You're not sorry that I kissed you?"  
  
Jenni shook her head, "Not at." but before she could finish her sentence, Bill's mouth had found hers again. This time he kissed her with a fierceness that took her breath away. Jenni melted into him as his arms tightened around her and forgot her surroundings. A loud voice brought her back to her senses.  
  
"BILL WEASLEY! What is going on?"  
  
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Nancy had seen it coming. She could tell he was going to kiss her, because his eyes had gone very dark and swirly and were making her insides feel all gooey. She had fair and proper warning, she supposed, but really, what could prepare you for this?  
  
Charlie was only surprised at the success of his distraction for a moment, and then he wrapped both arms around her and pulled her even closer, forgetting his own birthday as he deepened the kiss. They pressed against each other for a moment, and the connection between their lips sizzled with heat. After a second, Charlie noticed that Nancy tasted a bit salty, and he realized that her tears had flowed only minutes before. Gentling his touch, he brought a hand up behind her head, and let his mouth wander over her face, kissing away the wet tracks that had been left there.  
  
His kisses were so tender, so incredibly soft and caring that Nancy was left feeling like she was something incredibly precious. Happy tears were welling in her eyes as she realized that he was kissing the old ones away, and as they spilled over she laughed softly against his mouth.  
  
Charlie froze for just a moment, confused. She was crying again. No, wait... had she just laughed? He pulled back only far enough to slip his thumb in and swipe at a teardrop. "Good tears or bad?" he whispered roughly.  
  
Unable to help herself, Nancy let out a rather choked sob. "Good... they're good..." she managed to say, smiling at him even as she cried. She saw a flash of relief light up his dark blue eyes, and then he crushed her to him in a wonderful kiss that was part bone pulverizing bear hug and part sweet, sensuous heat. In fact, Nancy could feel his breath on her neck, which was rather odd, she thought detachedly, as his lips were most definitely exploring her own right now. The air hitting her neck got hotter, and then... something LICKED her!  
  
Nancy jumped about five feet up in the air, yelping, "What was that?" before she wedged herself between Charlie's back and the tree behind him.  
  
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Jenni pushed away from Bill FAST. Her face flushed and she refused to look at either him or Mrs. Weasley. She'd been caught by his MOTHER!  
  
Bill turned to face his mom, her expression a mixture of shock and amusement. He was saved from having to answer her when a loud explosion distracted all of them. Jenni turned to see a cloud of smoke emerging from the direction of the kitchen. The sound of footsteps on the stairs announced Ron, Harry, and Hermione's arrival. Mrs. Weasley's voice had gone extremely shrill as she rounded on the twins, who were fleeing the smoke.  
  
Ron whispered to Bill, "What have those two gone and done now?"  
  
Bill shrugged and put a finger to his lips for them to keep quiet. Bill, Harry and Ron edged closer to the door as Hermione caught Jenni's eyes and sighed. "Boys. I don't think they ever grow up."  
  
Jenni was just about to comment when the kitchen door swung open violently, sending the two brothers and Harry running. The three had just managed to find a place to sit when Mrs. Weasley eyed the room suspiciously. Without saying another word she headed up the stairs, Fred and George starting to follow. Ron looked up from where he was sitting, "What's mum up to?"  
  
Fred glared. "George decided to blow up dad's new muggle thing, a 'mico rave' something or other so now she's off to inspect our room for any incriminating evidence."  
  
George argued back. "I did not BLOW anything up! YOU were the one who told me to put the stuff in there to heat it up."  
  
"RIGHT! But I never told you to leave the LID on it!"  
  
"Well how was I to know the lid wouldn't stay on?"  
  
Jenni, Hermione and Harry all stifled giggles as they were the only ones familiar with muggle inventions. Jenni managed to eventually choke out, "What exactly were you trying to heat up?"  
  
Fred grinned, "A new recipe for candy. It's supposed to make you.OW!" Fred was cut off mid sentence as George punched him. "Right, well, I can't tell you. But if George here hadn't put the bloody lid on so tight, it would have worked."  
  
"It worked fine until you decided to push all the buttons to make it get hotter." George looked furious.  
  
Fred continued to grin, "Yeah, but you have to admit it looked pretty amazing when it blew up!"  
  
Jenni watched as George cracked a grin identical to Fred's. It was impossible NOT to laugh at those two. Their expressions changed as Mrs. Weasley's voice rang out, "If you two don't get up here right now!" The twins ran up the stairs with what Jenni thought was really exceptional speed. Ron chose that moment to brave the dangers of the kitchen and pushed the door open.  
  
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEW! THAT is disgusting!"  
  
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Charlie had scrambled up as soon as she jumped off of his lap. "What? What happened?" he asked, looking her over quickly for any injuries. Nancy had a hand on the back of her neck, wiping at something, and... Charlie stared over her shoulder. Was that FANG?  
  
"Cmere, boy... Fang? Where's Hagrid?" Charlie knelt down and let Fang run up to him, rubbing the huge dog's head vigorously. After a moment, he felt Nancy relax behind him, and she came over to his side.  
  
"FANG?" Charlie looked up to where she was standing, glaring down at the dog and biting her lip. She started giggling. "Oh my. I thought... I actually THOUGHT... even for a second..."  
  
He suddenly had a guess as to what had spooked her just moments ago. "You thought WHAT?"  
  
Nancy dissolved into helpless laughter. "I... I thought..." she gasped out, "something... on my neck... thought it was... you!" She glanced up at him, and the expression of repulsed hilarity was enough to send her off into a fresh bout of stomach clenching giggles. Rolling his eyes at her, Charlie turned to Fang, who was watching the scene with a happy expression on his face.  
  
"And YOU! Don't think I don't know your motive behind this whole mess. YOU wanted a kiss TOO, eh?" His lecture to the hound was greeted with a fresh gale of laughter from where Nancy had sunk to the ground, her arms wrapped around her middle. "Well, let me warn you... I don't take kindly to competition!"  
  
Nancy could barely catch her breath from laughing, and it didn't help that mid-lecture Fang had ambled over and started licking her face, setting Charlie off on another silly diatribe about sneaky animals stealing kisses. At this point, she was lying on the ground, trying to calm down and breathe, while ignoring the excited dog bounding around and the equally hysterical Charlie, who seemed to be quite enjoying her temporary loss of control over her abdominal muscles. She'd just succeeded at taking a full breath, without hiccuping or giggling, when Charlie's face popped into view, blocking out the trees and sky she'd been staring at.  
  
"Guess who's almost here, honey, better pull yourself together!" His face had an impish grin on it, and the teasing tone of voice would have brought on a fresh set of giggles, but he leaned down and grabbed her hands, pulling her off the ground and into his arms for a quick kiss.  
  
Before Nancy could fully melt into his embrace again, he had spun her around so that her back was to him, and started pulling out leaves and twigs that were stuck in her long brown hair. Getting over the surprise after a minute, she suddenly realized what he'd said to her just before kissing her.  
  
"Hey, wait..." she started, trying to turn her head to look at him. "WHO's almost here?" Charlie held her still with one of his large hands; the other one was still working some bark out of her curls.  
  
"Ah ha! There we go. You look just lovely," he said in a sugary sweet voice that made Nancy shout with laughter. He twirled her around again, putting a finger to her lips to keep her sarcastic comeback properly stowed. "Now, you'll be a good girl and NOT tell Hagrid that I was out here ravishing you, eh? He's of the impression that you needed SAVING. So... if you need to tell him something, just make me sound heroic, understood?" Charlie waggled his eyebrows at her in a way she could swear she'd seen the twins use once or twice, and then leaned down and kissed her nose, slipping an arm around her waist.  
  
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Bill looked up at the sound of Ron's voice and headed to the kitchen as well, grinning. He turned to Jenni, "You coming?"  
  
Jenni shook her head vigorously. "If it's that disgusting, I'd rather not see it."  
  
Bill grinned, "Suit yourself."  
  
Jenni watched as Hermione and Harry stood up to follow Bill into the kitchen. "Harry," Jenni found herself feeling extremely embarrassed. "Can I talk to you for a second?"  
  
Harry glanced at Hermione who shrugged. "Um, ok." He ran a nervous hand through his messy hair. As he turned to walk back towards Jenni, she caught an encouraging smile from Bill as he held the door open for Hermione.  
  
Jenni waited for Harry to sit back down. He seemed as nervous as she was. Jenni took a deep breath and decided to just get it over with. "I'm really sorry about what I said earlier today. I never meant to put you on the spot. It was... it was SO wrong of me and I'll understand if you're upset. I was really angry at Nancy and I said the first thing that came to my mind. And I really am sorry."  
  
Jenni felt her face heat up as she blurted out her apology. She looked up to see Harry's face relax. "It's okay. I mean, I'm used to being thrown into the middle of fights all the time."  
  
Jenni looked down at her hands folded in her lap. "No. It's not okay. I had no right to say those things. I don't even know you. I mean, I've heard of you, but you've had enough things to deal with, without being the object of some petty argument between two friends."  
  
Harry laughed. "Can I tell you a secret?"  
  
Jenni looked up curiously, "Sure."  
  
"Being friends with those two," he nodded towards the kitchen, "is like living your life in a petty argument between friends."  
  
No sooner had Harry spoken the words when Ron burst through the doors followed by Hermione. "Ron I'm serious. If you don't believe me you can ask Harry. This stuff smells just like that Bubotuber puss."  
  
"I know what BUBOTUBER PUSS smells like, and that is not it!" Ron bellowed. "Harry, tell Hermione that I'm right."  
  
Harry rolled his eyes, "See what I mean?"  
  
Jenni grinned, "Yeah I do."  
  
As he stood up to walk away he glanced back, "Don't worry about it. I'm not mad at you."  
  
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The next moment, there was a loud crash behind them, and Hagrid stepped out of the brush, making the much neglected Fang bark happily.  
  
"Ah, there yeh are." He grinned at the two of them, and sent Charlie a wink after he noticed the arm that was still draped around Nancy's waist. "I thought that 'e'd be bringin' yeh righ' out, and I was a bit worried that 'e'd turned the wrong way at the stream... but now that it's all right and tight, yeh'll both be comin' back ter my place for a bit to eat, eh?"  
  
Charlie groaned out loud, yelping when he felt Nancy pinch his leg HARD. She put on a smile and said sweetly to Hagrid, "Oh, we'd LOVE to..."  
  
Charlie's mouth opened indignantly to say that he would NOT love to, but Nancy was still talking.  
  
"...but I've given everyone at the Weasley's a bit of a fright, I'm afraid, and..." she seemed to lose steam here for a moment, so Charlie jumped in.  
  
"And, my mum's expecting us back!"  
  
Hagrid nodded blithely at them. "All right then. Can't be worryin' Molly now. Or Jenni, I'd suspect, eh?" he glanced shrewdly at Nancy's slightly red face. Charlie's arm tightened just slightly, letting her know that he was there for her, and Nancy leaned into him gratefully.  
  
"Well, yeh'd better get a move on! It'll likely be dark sooner'n yeh think. Nancy knows how teh get back, right? Cmon Fang, we've got work ter do." With one last wave, Hagrid faded back into the forest, Fang galloping along beside him.  
  
Charlie watched him go before turning back to Nancy, who was still sagging against him. He stared down at her for a minute as she gazed off into space. Where had all of that silliness come from? he wondered wryly. He hadn't cut loose and gone for the laugh like that in years, not since getting the post in Romania. Too much responsibility, he supposed. Besides, there wasn't much need for him to cut up like that at home when he visited, since the twins had come into their own so well. Although... Ginny still appreciated his stupid side, he thought with a grin.  
  
Nancy stirred a bit and seemed to be bringing herself back from wherever her thoughts had taken her. Charlie knew that she wasn't looking forward to the trip back, no matter how hard she'd been laughing only minutes ago. After all, she'd been crying just as hard only a few minutes before THAT. He just hoped that his brother had managed to calm Jenni down.  
  
When he looked down again, she was staring up at him, her soft brown eyes quietly serious. "What is it?"  
  
"I just... I don't know what to say to her."  
  
Charlie sighed and leaned his head down until they were touching foreheads. "Well, why DIDN'T you tell her what had happened?"  
  
Nancy sighed and closed her eyes, not really wanting to let the lighthearted feeling of earlier slip away, but knowing that he was right and that it needed to be discussed. "I... well, it wasn't very logical. Just, I knew that she'd make me go back and get the treatment, and I'm so tired of leaning on her for help! She's always got my back, and I know that she's not wealthy by any stretch..."  
  
Charlie interrupted, pulling Nancy closer for a hug. "Hey, I know that the money was one reason. But I don't think that was it."  
  
Burying her face in his chest, Nancy just stood there soaking up his warmth for a few minutes. Then she tipped her head up to look at him. "All right. I was trying to be an adult. I respect her so much... I just wanted to show her that I had grown up. That I could handle the situation without having to run to her all the time."  
  
There was a lull as she leaned back into him, thankful for the undemanding support he was giving her, and relishing the warm, hard muscles that she laid her head against as she thought about what she'd just said.  
  
"Stupid, huh. Of all the things I pick... a dragon wound."  
  
Charlie smiled, and ruffled her hair. "Not really the most handleable of situations. Hell, even I've learned to run for help when something happens."  
  
"So I guess that's all there is to it." Nancy stepped back from him, looking up at the deep, dark eyes that seemed to read right to her soul. He smiled gently. "I just have to tell HER that, and of course, say that I'm sorry. Because I am. Sorry, that is..." she gulped nervously.  
  
"Yeah. The rest is up to her," Charlie said, hoping desperately that Jenni was smart enough to see what a compliment Nancy's actions had been in their own misguided way. Nancy swallowed one more time and then looked around. The shadows had begun to lengthen, and her eyes widened.  
  
"Oh my. We'd better get going, or we'll never get out of here before dark. Not at the rate I'm walking..." she shook her head and turned to go.  
  
"Wait." Charlie reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him. "What do you mean, the rate you're walking?" His forehead was creased with worry. "What's wrong?"  
  
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Jenni smiled as she watched the three friends walk away, Ron and Hermione still arguing and Harry between the two, shaking his head. With a sigh, she moved from where she was sitting to stand in front of the window. It had gotten late and there was still no sign of Charlie and Nancy. She was owning up to her feelings of panic when she felt two arms wrap around her. She leaned back into the safety of Bill's embrace. He brought his head down, kissing the temple. "How was your talk with Harry?"  
  
"The talk with Harry went fine."  
  
Bill frowned at the hopelessness in Jenni's voice. "Then what's bothering you?"  
  
"It's getting late. They should have been here by now."  
  
There was no trace of tears in Jenni's voice. In fact, Bill noticed, it sounded hollow and empty. "I promise you that they're okay. And, I can prove it to you."  
  
"But, how can you be so sure?"  
  
Bill smiled and turned Jenni around. "You see that clock over there?" Jenni's followed the direction of Bill's finger and she nodded. "Well, the hand with Charlie's name on it is pointing to traveling. So, either he's still looking for Nancy, or he's found her and they're on their way back."  
  
Jenni turned to face Bill. She was about to comment when he kept talking. "Either way, it means that Nancy hasn't pulled some crazy stunt land them in mortal peril."  
  
She had to admit, he had a point there. Nancy was GOOD at getting herself into quite a bit of trouble. "Now that's what I like to see." Bill watched as the ends of Jenni's mouth curved up at his earlier comment. "A nice, big smile on that beautiful face of yours." He leaned forward for a quick kiss and led her back to the couch picking up an old copy of The Daily Prophet on his way.  
  
Bill settled into the couch pulling Jenni next to him. "So, let's see what I've missed in the news three days ago."  
  
Jenni stopped Bill as he scanned the back page. "You do realize you're reading the paper backwards, don't you?"  
  
Bill dropped the paper slightly. "Yes. I do realize I've started reading the paper from the last page." He shot Jenni a mischievous grin and continued. "Unlike some people who try to read the paper upside down, I do have a reason for this. You see, all the good articles are on the first page. If I start from the last page and work my way to the first page, then I've saved the best articles for last."  
  
As Bill scanned the paper for anything of interest, he asked Jenni about her work. "So, you and Nancy work at the Daily Prophet? What do you do exactly?"  
  
"Well," Jenni began. "I'm a senior reporter, based purely on the time that I've been with them, and Nancy's still an assistant reporter. Since we teamed up when Nancy joined, we're mainly sent out on assignments for Human Interest pieces. Occasionally, for good behavior, we get sent on a trip for a bigger feature."  
  
"Is that what you two were doing in Romania?"  
  
"Yes. We were supposed to be on assignment for a few days. And as you know, it got cut short."  
  
Bill nodded. "Do you two write the articles as well?"  
  
"Unfortunately yes." Jenni rolled her eyes. "Some of them can be such a bore."  
  
Bill grinned. "Well, what's the best one you've done so far?"  
  
Jenni thought quietly for a few seconds. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."  
  
"Try me."  
  
"Well, if you insist." Jenni started grinning. "Last week, Friday, actually... Nancy and I had to start a profile piece on Professor Snape, his engagement, and his upcoming wedding."  
  
Bill dropped the paper. "You have got to be kidding. Snape? Getting married?"  
  
Jenni giggled at the look of shock on Bill's face. "I know. I couldn't believe it either. THAT was the most interesting interview I've ever had to do."  
  
Bill shook his head, still in shock over the news of Snape getting married. Jenni looked over at the paper he was holding. "Anything interesting yet?"  
  
"No, nothing yet... Wait just a minute! I think I may have found one." Bill's eyes were sparkling, and his voice had a hint of laughter in it.  
  
Jenni was just about to ask just what he had found when he began to read.  
  
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Nancy almost hid her head in her hands; she couldn't believe that had come out of her mouth. Charlie stepped closer, and she wouldn't meet his eyes. "Nothing, just short legs is all."  
  
She wasn't looking into his eyes, so Charlie knew for sure that she was lying. "Show me your leg."  
  
That got her attention and she tried to wriggle out from under his hand. "Why? You fixed it... there's no reason..."  
  
Before she could even finish a full excuse, Charlie had swept her up into his arms and deposited her at the foot of a tree. "NOW, Nancy."  
  
She glared at him, and stuck her leg out for his inspection. It took Charlie a moment to see what was wrong, the wound was still oozing and tender, obviously better but still an odd color and clearly painful to walk on. Since his injection of antidote last night SHOULD have cleared up any lingering effects of the dragon poison, Charlie figured it was probably the next worst thing.  
  
"You let it get INFECTED."  
  
"It wasn't a question of LETTING it..." Nancy rolled her eyes at his glare. "I THOUGHT that the funny color was from the dragon and not..." She was cut off by Charlie putting a finger to her lips.  
  
"Just shush or I'm going to start laughing and then you'll be really annoyed," he said, groaning at the logic. Nancy glared, but stayed quiet. "Ok... so it's infected. Well, bloody hell. I can't let you walk on it."  
  
"That's just... HEY!" Charlie ignored her protest and swung her up into his arms.  
  
"Ready? You point me in the right direction and I walk. Settle in, you're going to be there for a little while."  
  
Nancy glared at him for a few minutes until that got old, and then she just leaned against him, feeling the rhythm of his footsteps. They walked along in companionable silence, with Nancy interrupting it periodically, saying that she was much too heavy to be carried for so long, and Charlie just grinning and shaking his head. He hadn't broken a sweat yet.  
  
After a few tries at that, Nancy gave up. There were a few more minutes of silence and then she started singing quietly to herself. She shot glances at Charlie's face every few minutes to see if he was annoyed, but every time he just winked at her, or smiled and kissed the top of her head.  
  
The shadows were thickening as they reached the last landmark on the trip out. Nancy knew that from there it was about a twenty-minute walk to the edge of the forest. She switched songs, wondering if the old muggle classic "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" would prompt him to let her walk out of the forest on her own two feet. She'd made it to 84 before he stopped.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry, am I bothering you? You can just put me down..." she was cut off when Charlie pressed her back up against a tree and kissed her soundly. After a few minutes, he pulled back for air. His husky voice was laced with laughter.  
  
"You are the cutest thing... and you did not manage to annoy me ONCE. And I'm still carrying you out." With that, he readjusted her in his arms, and started back down the path.  
  
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"Romanian Quidditch Hopes Written by: Jenni Ferguson, sr. Rep. Nancy Gwin, asst. Rep  
  
The reporters, while visiting the beautiful country of Romania, were caught up in the fever of a Quidditch-mania that would put our own Chudley Cannons faithful to shame. Quidditch was in the air, from the moment we apparated to the hotel, and even though the words are different, we needed only our enthusiasm for the game to communicate."  
  
Jenni groaned as Bill read out loud. She reached to grab the paper away but he held her hand back. "No way! I've got to read this."  
  
She scowled, "You could have picked a better article to read. That one was horrible. We didn't even have anything to go on."  
  
Bill grinned, "That's obvious." He grabbed Jenni's hands and held them with one hand against his chest while still holding the paper with the other hand. Jenni sighed and resigned herself to listening to him read the less than spectacular article. As he continued to read, he released Jenni's hands and repositioned himself so that her head rested comfortably on his chest. Jenni listened to his smooth voice read the article, feeling it resonate in his chest.  
  
"As we are all well aware, the Romanian national team (which we were asked not to name, as the translation apparently butchers the beautiful sound of their language)..."  
  
Bill paused, smirking. "You never did figure that out, did you?" Jenni whacked him in the side and he kept reading.  
  
"...is one of the six still in the running for the Quidditch World Cup. Their seeker is said to rival Krum and their chasers would not be intimidated by the great Ireland side. We asked a number of everyday citizens to give us their thoughts on the upcoming year, and what it could mean for their country if it were to advance to next year's World Cup.  
  
Unfortunately, due to the language barrier, we can only tell you the basic meaning behind what they were trying to say. One man, obviously enthused by the prospect of discussing everyone's favorite sport, waved his hands wildly in the air and said what we think meant, 'I love it! I love you! They are wonderful!' before grabbing some fruit from a nearby stand and running away. He could also have been asking us for money. We're still working on that.  
  
However, we were more clear on what an old witch meant, as she tossed hexes at us after we asked her opinion on the British team. Somewhere between dodging her remarkably advanced jelly-limbs curse and projecting a shield to block her Rictusempra, the reporter is certain that she said the following. 'We are going to kick your. @$$.' Those Romanians take their Quidditch seriously."  
  
Bill's voice stopped, and Jenni could feel his chest shaking with silent laughter. "Don't suppose she gave you any tips on her jelly legs before you ran into me?" When Jenni didn't rise to the bait, he grinned and said, "I like your translations... very original," before diving back into the article.  
  
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Since they had made it to the path, the walk had become much smoother, and Nancy felt her eyelids drifting closed after a few minutes. She fought it, and struggled to sit up, blinking sleepily. "Quick, talk to me, I'm falling asleep!" she muttered.  
  
Charlie, who was in one of the best moods he could remember, just smiled at her and said, "It's ok. Go ahead and sleep. I've got you." His smile widened when she put her arms around his neck and relaxed against him. In a matter of minutes she was a dead weight in his arms, completely limp and incredibly adorable.  
  
He breathed a sigh of relief as they cleared the edge of the forest. It wasn't quite as late as he'd thought, only just now was the sun setting. The forest had been very dark for that last stretch. Charlie moved quickly through the deserted castle and back out to the town of Hogsmeade. Nancy never stirred. She had probably pushed her limits a bit further than she should have today, he thought on a sigh, but luckily the only damage she'd inflicted seemed to be in exhaustion.  
  
When he was sure that he was outside of the school's boundaries, Charlie sat down, balancing Nancy on his lap as he dug around in his pocket for his wand. He didn't want to wake her up, and he knew a useful binding spell that he'd used in Romania once or twice to help someone who was injured or underage get somewhere fast. You had to bind them to you so that they didn't get left behind or split into pieces during the apparation.  
  
Finally coming up with his wand, Charlie pulled it out, only to hesitate for a moment. He had really enjoyed his afternoon, despite the nasty way the day had started, and he found himself almost unwilling to end it. After all, when they got back to the Burrow, there would be people to talk to, and always the threat of someone walking in on any sort of private moment.  
  
Charlie almost put his wand away before he realized that two or three of those people were waiting anxiously for him to come back with Nancy. And besides, he was good at sneaking around that house... he'd certainly had a lot of practice. Murmuring the spell, he watched as a pink stream of light shot out from his wand and wrapped itself around the two of them. Only then did he replace his wand, and with a last look at Nancy's peaceful face, he apparated home.  
  
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"Indeed, although we can't verify this for certain, there appeared to be an entire section in the Romanian newspaper devoted to Quidditch. Our own Prophet affords the sport only a few pages. This could prove, once and for all, that the Romanian national team is definitely SOMETHING to write about."  
  
This time Bill couldn't hold it in. He started laughing, deep and loud, until his face was as red as his hair. Jenni sat up for a moment and stared at him. When he had calmed down enough to talk, he gasped out, "Sorry... newspaper... the one you had... never MENTIONED quidditch... always meant to tell you that..."  
  
Bill finally regained his composure and put the paper down. He was still laughing. "If that was one of the more horrible articles, I can't wait to read the better ones. That was fantastic."  
  
Jenni growled indignantly. "It was horrible and you know it. There was no truth at all to that article. The only reason our supervisor and editor in chief let it slide was because Nancy got hurt."  
  
"I tell you what. Since it's obvious we don't agree on this, how about I just find something else to read?"  
  
Jenni had to choke down a laugh as Bill picked up a copy of Witch Weekly and began to read the silly, sugary articles out loud to her. She settled into his arms, her head back on his chest, as he read.  
  
Bill smiled. He had no idea what had come over him. Never had he taken the time to read to anyone. That just wasn't like him. It also wasn't like him to go chasing after someone who had lost her temper in a really unbecoming way. He'd always shied away from women with too much of a temper. He tried to push the thoughts out of his head, but the more he tried, the more he failed. Whatever it was, Jenni had definitely changed his way of thinking. What shocked him the most was that he didn't seem to mind the change. In fact, he was rather enjoying it.  
  
A small noise interrupted Bill's thoughts. He glanced up at the clock and noticed the hand with Charlie's name move from traveling to home. 


	12. To Bed or Not to Bed?

Quick A/N - all of the replies to our wonderful reviewers are from Jenni's fertile brain. ;) Nancy claims no responsibility this time.  
  
ZOE - Wow! I can't believe it! That would be incredible.exclusive invitations to the reception! Man the article we could write up on that!  
  
Little Wolf - Yes Bill is quite the playful type isn't he? Glad you're enjoying the story so much! Ronsspawn - I'm so amazed that you think we write fast! LOL. Ok, well thanks for reading as always.  
  
Blue Eyes - The tension is over? Are you sure? MUWAHHAAHAAA!! Guess you'll just have to wait and see!  
  
Heather - Yes, we tried very hard to make this story different! That was the whole point. We decided, Nancy and I that is, that a story about the older Weasley brothers would be quite fun. Not to mention, we think they are extremely sexy!  
  
Louisa - Our favorite Aussie! Thanks for reading as always! Hope you enjoy chapter 12 just as much!  
  
Karen - AH! The famous article. Well, I have to give Nancy full credit on that! It was her brilliant mind that came up with that fantabulous piece of work!  
  
Carrie - You can BUMP our story anytime!  
  
Dead Sexy - Glad to see you enjoying the story! And don't worry, there will be a lot more Nancy/Charlie and Jenni/Bill interactions!  
  
Angel Beech - Yes! Poor Harry would feel like he's stuck in one big argument wouldn't he!  
  
Phantas Magoria - HAHAA!! A Bill and Charlie of your own! Nancy and I were just discussing that exact same thing only a few days ago! Unfortunately I think we're both still looking. Let us know if you have better luck!  
  
Fracindy - Hmm, ok first and foremost. You can not marry Bill. He's mine. Or have you not been reading the story???? HMMMMMMM? And what are doing in the tree? Spying? Hmph. Must tell Percy about his dad's assistant. He'll really have something to say about that.  
  
Psiana - OH you've made my day with your review! Bond! Jenni Bond! HAHAHAA!! I can see it now! Me chasing bad guys with my deadly wand and super fast broomstick! And then amidst all the explosions, standing calmly and slowly putting on sunglasses! Thanks for that wonderful image!  
  
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Bill looked at Jenni sprawled out on the couch. He wanted to talk to make sure Nancy was with Charlie before getting her involved. "You want something to drink? All this reading is making me thirsty."  
  
Jenni grinned. "No, I'm all right."  
  
He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. "Ok, then I'll only be a minute." As he reached the kitchen, Bill turned around to make sure Jenni hadn't changed her mind and followed him. As soon as he was satisfied, he headed out the back door to find his brother.  
  
Bill's heart stopped as he saw only one figure in the darkness. His first thought was how devastated Jenni would be to learn that Charlie hadn't found Nancy. It wasn't until he got closer that he noticed the small bundle of a woman who was in Charlie's arms. He breathed a sigh of relief that was quickly replaced with a grimace. If Charlie was carrying her, then something must be wrong.  
  
He was back to his first thought - Jenni would be crushed. His second thought was that he was jumping to conclusions, and he'd better go get the facts before alerting the tightly wound and very emotional woman in the other room. Peering around the corner at her, he saw Jenni's brown hair fanned out over the spot where he had been sitting. She seemed to be dozing quietly, so he crept over to the door and slipped outside.  
  
"Charlie!" His hushed whisper seemed to startle his younger brother, who was in the middle of removing what looked like some kind of binding spell. Waiting for him to finish, Bill studied the girl's face for a moment, before looking up at his brother's.  
  
Nancy was still pale and looked as though she had only just begun to recover from an illness, but her face was peaceful and didn't look like someone recently mauled by a whomping willow. Charlie, he noted on a sigh, looked totally and utterly besotted. He also seemed worried, and the way he was holding her was classic protective, but Bill decided wryly that the worrying came with Nancy and the protecting was something the Weasleys had in their blood.  
  
Suddenly, the faint pink shimmering that had surrounded the two of them disappeared, and Bill pulled himself back to the question at hand. Charlie glanced over at him, whispering, "What is it? Something wrong?"  
  
"I was going to ask you that. She all right?"  
  
"Just tired, and... but nothing new. Why?" Charlie shot him an odd look.  
  
"I want to be well prepared before I head back in to break the news to Jenni. She's a bit fragile right now."  
  
Two red eyebrows shot to the top of Charlie's forehead. "SHE'S fragile? Is this the same..."  
  
Bill cut him off before he could say anything derogatory about Jenni. "Listen... I'm not defending what she said or how she said it. But yes, she's fragile, and she's terrified that Nancy's been hurt or won't ever talk to her again."  
  
Charlie sighed, knowing that the conversation couldn't continue, not here. Not with Nancy shifting sleepily in his arms and Jenni probably pacing the floor inside. "I don't suppose she cried on you and told you how wrong she was?" he asked softly. Catching Bill's irritated look he quickly added, "Because that's what Nancy did..."  
  
The look that passed between them was palpable relief. Neither one wanted to be at odds with his brother, but both sensed that these women were special enough to split their Weasley loyalty if it came to that.  
  
Bill smiled slightly, "I'd better go get her. She's not such a fan of being left in the dark about... anything, if you hadn't noticed..."  
  
Charlie grinned back at him and followed as they walked back to the front door. Bill held it as Charlie maneuvered Nancy inside, and then dashed off to the living room to wake Jenni. He found her right where he had left her. Dropping a quick kiss on her forehead, he shook her shoulder gently. "Jenni... Jenni, wake up. Guess who just walked through the door?"  
  
She shot up, groggy and confused, and the sleep in her eyes was so adorable that Bill couldn't help stealing a kiss. He kept it light, though, and repeated himself after pulling away. "Come and see who just came home." He held out his hand as her eyes lit up, and pulling her off the couch, led her to the front hallway, where Charlie was still holding Nancy.  
  
Jenni blinked through the sleepiness that had come on so suddenly. He had to mean Nancy, didn't he? Why else would he wake her up? As they turned the corner to the hall, she saw Charlie standing there and then her eyes focused on her friend's small form lying curled up in his arms. She stifled her gasp with two hands over her mouth and ran to stand in front of the sturdy dragon tamer. "Is she... she's not..."  
  
"Just sleeping." Bill had come up behind her.  
  
"Thank god..." Jenni stared at Nancy's face for a moment and then blurted out, "Do you think she'll talk to me when she wakes up?"  
  
Charlie smiled gently at her worried look. "Jenni, trust me, she'll be happy to see you." His brother shot him a grateful look as he wrapped an arm around the short brunette.  
  
"Now, since Nancy's obviously worn herself out, you'll both stay the night, right?" At Jenni's nod, Bill grinned and said, "Well then, lead the way, milady! We'd better go collect some things that are more your sizes. And I wouldn't mind seeing YOUR bed..."  
  
Charlie grinned as Jenni whacked his brother and the two walked off, flirting and laughing. He looked down at Nancy, who was still sleeping soundly. "She was happy to see you..." he whispered, kissing the top of her head and smiling into her hair. "I win."  
  
As he walked up the stairs, Charlie found himself wishing that he could rescue Nancy from something or other every day, so that he'd have an excuse to tuck her under his covers at night. It was odd, he was very attracted to her, but this desire to have her close at night was different. It was all mixed in with feelings of wanting to protect her and also keep an eye on her -- she did have the adorable but worrying tendency to find trouble.  
  
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Jenni's heart was considerably lighter than it had been the past few days. With a *pop* they arrived at Nancy's apartment first. As Jenni unlocked the door, she groaned. They had left Cheese Kanoodles on the small table in the kitchen, clothes were strewn about everywhere, and several pairs of shoes had been tossed about haphazardly. They had really left Nancy's apartment in a mess.  
  
"Sorry about the mess." Jenni shot an apologetic glance at Bill.  
  
He grinned back. "That's okay."  
  
Jenni shook her head, "No, it's not. Nancy is gonna kill me when she finds out I let someone into her apartment with it looking like this." She blushed as she continued her sentence, "It's just, we left in a hurry and forgot to clean up."  
  
"Right!" Bill watched as Jenni began to pick up pits and pieces of clothing and kicking a pair of shoes into a nearby closet. "It looks like you two left in search of some hot dates."  
  
Jenni shrugged her shoulders as she peered innocently at Bill, "Maybe."  
  
Bill answered back just as innocently, "So, did you find them? The hot dates I mean?"  
  
Unable to stop herself from laughing Jenni responded. "Well, there were these two guys that we met. But, I'm not too sure. I mean really, long red hair and earrings? I don't know about that."  
  
Bill shook his head as he followed Jenni to Nancy's bedroom. "What is this world coming too? People letting their children look like that."  
  
Jenni had just finished gathering a few things for Nancy when she noticed Bill happily eating the left over Cheese Kanoodles. She made a face and took the bag from him. "Don't eat those. They've been left out for two days."  
  
"They're not that bad."  
  
Jenni rolled her eyes. "Honestly. If you're that hungry you can fix yourself something when we get to my apartment. I assure you nothing has been left open for two days over there."  
  
Bill's face lit up with a rather mischievous grin, "And then you show me your bed?"  
  
Instead of replying, Jenni shoved Bill out the door of Nancy's apartment. After locking the door, they headed to her own apartment. It was a little smaller, but Jenni had always been able to make her small rooms look much larger than what they really were. Nancy had accused her once of having spells set up throughout the apartment and had spent hours checking and recheck, refusing to believe her denials. Jenni on the other hand was fairly sure that it was because, unlike Nancy, she tended to be a neat freak and kept everything free of clutter.  
  
Jenni threw her keys carelessly on the table and stared longingly at her soft worn in chair with her favorite blanket. With a sigh she headed off to her bedroom to gather her things. She was standing on a stool reaching for a bag on the top shelf of her closet when Bill walked in and let out a loud whistle. "THAT is one big bed!"  
  
By the time Jenni had managed to grab the bag and turn around, Bill was stretched out on her queen-sized bed in the middle of her mounds of pillows. She held back a laugh as she stared at him looking so out of place with his dangling earring and his punk rock clothing in the middle of her ruffled comforter with pastel flowers and matching pillows.  
  
Bill rolled over and leaned up on his elbow. "You wouldn't be laughing at ME, now would you?"  
  
Jenni laughed loudly, "No. I would never do such a thing. And YOU wouldn't happen to have YOUR feet on MY bed would you?"  
  
Bill quickly moved his feet off the side of the bed. "Of course not." He said with a sheepish grin.  
  
Jenni rolled her eyes as she closed her closet door. "Ok, that's everything. Let's go now."  
  
Bill groaned, "Now? I was hoping you would come - share - your bed with me!" He grinned wickedly at Jenni watching her turn a deep red. "Besides, you promised to feed me."  
  
Fighting to regain her composure, Jenni averted her eyes from Bill's teasing blue gaze. "If you want something to eat, you're going to have to go to the kitchen," she managed to squeak out before heading down the narrow hallway herself.  
  
Realizing he was being left alone, Bill jumped off the bed and followed Jenni to her small kitchen. He found her peering into her pantry. She turned around as she heard him walk into the kitchen. "I've got a bag of pretzels, some cheese kanoodles, or if you prefer," she said closing the door "I have some fruit in the." Jenni was cut of short by a rather large yawn. "in the refrigerator."  
  
Bill walked over to Jenni and placed a light kiss on her forehead. He noticed she looked exhausted despite her rather uplifted mood. "I tell you what. Why don't we just go home so that you can get some sleep. I'm sure mum will have plenty of food at the house."  
  
Jenni yawned again. "Are you sure? I've got plenty."  
  
Bill cut her off with a gentle kiss. He pulled back a little. "I'm positive. Besides, I'm sure you're anxious to see Nancy."  
  
Jenni nodded in agreement. She hadn't realized until now just how tired she really was. Once Jenni locked the door to her apartment, they headed back to the burrow.  
  
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Charlie jerked awake suddenly, nearly knocking over the chair he'd settled himself into once Nancy was tucked securely under his covers. His first instinct was to glance at the bed, but Nancy was still there, sleeping soundly. So why had he woken up? Charlie scanned the room slowly, and was just going to open the door to the hall and look around when a sharp tapping came from his window. Just an owl, he thought with relief.  
  
Striding across the room, he let the tawny owl in and held out his arm for it to land on. It held out its leg with a rather heavy looking letter addressed to him attached, and Charlie found himself marveling at the intelligence and grace of the winged messengers. He loved things that flew. Anything with wings was tops in his books. It wasn't as though he DIDN'T like four, six, or eight legged creatures, but there was something about the ability to fly that captivated him.  
  
The letter was addressed to him, in neat, bold handwriting. Tucking it into his pocket, he set about feeding and watering the owl. When the beautiful bird had eaten its fill of the pellets he'd conjured for it, Charlie slipped the window open and let it fly back out into the dusky sky. He was heading for the chair by his bed when a soft knock sounded on the door. Shooting a careful glance at Nancy to make sure she was still asleep, he padded over and quietly eased it open.  
  
"Mum? What is it?"  
  
"Charlie, dear, I just..." Molly Weasley's face hovered between anxious and quite pleased, and after a moment she said, "Well I got a rather edited version of the day's events out of the twins, not that I'm trusting them to tell me the truth, but..."  
  
Charlie could feel himself tensing. What if his mother thought that the girls were creating too much stress in the house? Was she working up to asking him to send Nancy home? He wasn't sure he could do that...  
  
"But... I just needed to know that the poor dear is all right. She looked so ill yesterday, and so much better this morning." Charlie nearly let loose with a huge sigh of relief, but held it in as his mother continued. "Although, after the fight with Bill's young lady - do you know I caught them... well, I suppose that's none of your business, but... oh, yes, well, I just thought that she might have worn herself out and would she be wanting some supper tonight?"  
  
Charlie blinked. THAT was what she'd been working up to? Finding out if Nancy was HUNGRY? He should have known, he admitted to himself with a slight grin. Molly Weasley had never mistreated any guest who had walked through her door unless they threatened her husband or children with bodily harm. And since two of her children seemed quite stuck on the small brunettes, she would, of course, make them feel at home for as long as they were there.  
  
"Well, what did I say to provoke that silly grin? I DO have food cooking downstairs, young man, and..." her tirade was interrupted when Charlie was reminded of the original question.  
  
"Well, Mum. She's all right, just sleeping and fighting off an infection," he rolled his eyes as he said this, still a bit miffed at Nancy for not keeping her wound from infecting. "But, she also hasn't eaten since breakfast, and if she doesn't wake up by supper, she'll be that much more hungry when she finally does."  
  
His mother smiled, letting the pleased look take over for the anxious one. "Well, that's good to hear, poor dear looks like she hasn't eaten a square meal in weeks." She turned to go, but whirled back around as Charlie was easing the door shut. "What about your brother? And Jenni? I couldn't find them to ask... probably off finishing what I interrupted earlier," she said with a knowing smile.  
  
Charlie glanced up at the clock. "They should be back any minute. Just went to get some things, since the girls are staying over again..." he flushed, realizing that his mother's eyebrows were somewhere near her hairline. "Er... because Nancy's still so weak, and... not like THAT, Mum!" he mumbled, red-faced and feeling as though he were about fifteen again in the face of his mother's assessing stare.  
  
"Well, then I'll plan on everyone eating." She shot a last look through the slightly open door. "You're sure she's really asleep in that dark room?" Charlie felt his face heat up, and pushed the door open wider so that she could clearly see Nancy. "Oh go on, I trust you, dear." With a smile and a shake of her head, Mrs. Weasley headed back downstairs.  
  
Charlie shut the door and went back to the chair, wondering if he and his brothers hadn't been a bad influence on his mum's sense of decency.  
  
"'S'everything all right?" Nancy's sleepy voice surprised him as she raised her head slightly, looking about her in confusion. "Charlie?"  
  
He reached over to the window and secured the curtain back to let the last of the daylight in before saying, "I'm right here, Nancy, go back to sleep."  
  
There was silence for a few moments, and her head fell back onto the pillow. Charlie was just reaching into his pocket to fish out the letter when Nancy stirred and said, "I'm hungry."  
  
His hand stilled for a second, and he choked back a laugh. "I don't suppose you can ignore that and sleep some more?"  
  
"Nope. Hunger pretty much takes first priority with me." Nancy rolled over onto her side, slowly waking up, and her stomach rumbled to underline her statement.  
  
Charlie watched her for a minute, oddly enthralled by her stretches and yawns, which continued for about a minute, before she collapsed back onto the bed with a sigh. "I don't suppose you have a secret stash of food up here, do you?"  
  
He grinned at the desperate hope in her voice. "Used to, but since I've only been home on short visits lately, Mum's pretty much cleaned me out." Nancy scowled a bit, and sat up, rubbing at her eyes and looking around, squinting, for her glasses. He fished them out of his pocket, the letter falling onto the floor as he handed them over to her.  
  
"Thanks," Nancy said quietly, suddenly a bit embarrassed at the amount of help she had allowed him to give her. Not only was she feeling dainty almost constantly, darn his strong arms, but he was getting to the point where he could tell what she was looking for without words! She shoved the glasses onto her face and tried hard not to blush, glaring at the floor. "Is that your letter?"  
  
Now it was Charlie's turn to flush. "Er, yeah... nothing important," he mumbled as he grabbed for it. That was the last thing he wanted to overshadow the time he suddenly had with Nancy, news of a denied transfer. He'd read it later.  
  
She glared at him suspiciously, but the slightly worried look on his face smoothed out when a loud yell echoed up the stairs. "Ah! That would be Mum assembling the troops for dinner." He laughed when Nancy's eyes lit up and she leaped up out of bed. The next moment, however, he reached out to steady her as she winced at the jarring sensation of leaping onto her still sore leg. "Are you sure you're up for this? I could just bring some food up here to you..." But Nancy had already shrugged off his help and was hobbling around looking for her shoes.  
  
"Where DID you put them?" She swiveled and spotted them at the end of his bed. "Ah ha! OW. Darn it, I think I might have overdone it a bit today," she said a bit sheepishly as she sat down to slip them on. "My leg's all stiff."  
  
Nancy glanced up into Charlie's suddenly unreadable face, and wondered why she had the feeling that he was trying not to laugh at her. "Just no telling Jenni... she'll only flip..." as she trailed off his face turned serious.  
  
"Isn't that the logic that got you into the fight that CAUSED you to go off and overuse that leg?" he stepped closer to her, reaching down to pull her to her feet.  
  
Nancy stiffened as he pulled her into his arms, unsure of herself and afraid of facing her best friend at dinner. Charlie sighed, sensing her tension, and started rubbing a hand up and down her back. "I mean, it's not that the logic isn't based on experience... but... maybe if these injuries weren't such surprises, Jenni could handle herself better."  
  
Unable to resist the calming effects of that hand, Nancy leaned into him, burying her face in the folds of his shirt. Maybe he was right. After all, Jenni was actually pretty good at dealing with things calmly and carefully, at least when Bill wasn't around. "Fine, I'll tell her," she mumbled. "But not at dinner. Just in case she does."  
  
"Does what?" Charlie turned her towards the door and started walking, hooking an arm around her waist to give her something to lean on. He smiled as she immediately did so, taking weight off of her tired legs.  
  
"Flips out..." Nancy whispered and glanced around them as they emerged onto the landing, hoping that Jenni wasn't in hearing range.  
  
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A/N - Sorry that this is a bit shorter than usual... although I must say we generally don't skimp on the length. We'll do our best to make that up to you ASAP! ;) 


	13. Get Shorty!

A/N - chapter 13. Creepy. Well, don't think about it too much. ;)  
  
Oh, and by the way - in case you missed it or for some reason forgot, Jenni and Nancy are just having fun in the world created by JKR and her publishers etc. Not ours.  
  
On to the fun part - answering our fans! :)  
  
Lily -- *sputters helplessly* WHAT are you implying? That we... that... why, that interpretation of the title of the last chapter had NEVER crossed my mind. *angelic look*  
  
Anaxandra - Hi!! A new reader, how fun!! :) Oooh, and a good question. Well, we pretty much divide up pieces of the chapters based on who has the good ideas and whose characters are doing what... plus, we send each other the bits we're writing so that if someone wants to add or change, they can! It's really fun. :) Glad you're enjoying the story!  
  
Littlewolf - Amen to that one. Ah, that we could all find ourselves Weasleys...  
  
Heather - hmmm. A good question. *looks at her co-writer, Jenni* Well, shall we answer her? Hmm. I didn't think so. Here's what I can tell you, Heather... we're making this up as we go, just for fun... but we ARE trying to give it some sort of plot. And lately, talk has turned to apartments... OH, I've said too much. ;)  
  
Fracindy - HEY, no glaring. Jenni's still trying to decide if she'll forgive you. ;) And I think you'll be pleased to note a bit more Percy, though no morning hair, I'm afraid. And, yes, Hamlet... it's probably all your fault that Lily now thinks we're scarlet women. ;)  
  
Louisa - So do I. He he he. HEY! Tell Harry to behave himself. ;)  
  
Gohansfollower - HI! Another newbie! That's so cool. And thanks for the kind words! I hope you enjoy this chapter. :)  
  
Psiana - oh man. That's rough news. I could send Charlie over to punch him out for you... *glances over chapter* hmm, will this restore your faith in men? Well, we WILL work on that, but please bear in mind that we are working with WEASLEYS here. ;)  
  
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As Jenni and Bill walked through the door, they met Mrs. Weasley coming down the stairs. "AH! There you two are. I was just wondering where the two of you had slipped off to." The speculative look in her eyes made Jenni stammer a bit.  
  
"We... we just went to get some things for the... for tonight. I'm so sorry that Nancy and I are being such a bother." Jenni started weakly. Bill opened his mouth to reassure her, but his mother beat him to it.  
  
"Oh nonsense, dear." Mrs. Weasley's voice was kind and gentle. "In fact I was just upstairs telling Charlie that I hoped the two of you would be here for dinner. I've got plenty. Although. oh dear. I'd better tell Arthur we'll have to move everything outside."  
  
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Jenni asked, glaring at Bill as he pulled the bags full of clothing that she'd insisted on carrying right out of her hands.  
  
Mrs. Weasley nodded and beckoned for Jenni to come into the kitchen. "You can help me take this food outside. We'll leave Arthur and the boys to worry about the chairs and table."  
  
Bill grinned as he watched Jenni follow his mum. He had to hand it to her. She definitely knew how to get Molly Weasley in her corner. Without even realizing what she was doing, Jenni had just redeemed any and all past wrongs in Mrs. Weasley's book. If any of HER children had so much as THOUGHT about helping with dinner she would have passed out from shock.  
  
Jenni forgot about being tired as she helped Mrs. Weasley with bringing everything outside. The wonderful smell of food was a potent reminder that she hadn't eaten all day, and her stomach rumbled loudly. Ginny Weasley, the only daughter and youngest child, was standing nearby when her internal organs gave vent to their feelings, and the two girls were both caught up in a fit of giggles.  
  
As their laughter died down, Ginny took the dish she was holding and headed over to the table with it, giving Jenni a moment to take in the scene. Her overall impression of the Weasley family was that they were in constant motion. There were people EVERYWHERE. Jenni had grown up in a small family - just her parents, her older sister, herself, and her little brother. Actually, she realized, by the time her little brother came along, her older sister had already moved out, so there had only ever been two children in the house. She was enjoying the noisy chatter of the large family immensely and allowed a smile to spread across her face.  
  
"Pardon me, but would you care for a toffee?" Jenni was jolted from her thoughts to find two identical faces grinning at her.  
  
"Sure!" Jenni reached for one of the colorfully colored candies. "What are these anyway?"  
  
"Just something we're working on is all. Right George?"  
  
Jenni nodded. Ok so the taller one is Fred. "So did you come up with a new flavor or something?"  
  
George grinned. "Or something, I guess."  
  
Jenni was beginning to unwrap the candy when she spotted Ginny and Hermione waving frantically in her direction. The twins, noticing something was amiss, turned to see what Jenni was looking at.  
  
"We'll be right back." Fred glared at Hermione and Ginny while pulling George behind him towards the girls.  
  
"I wouldn't eat that if I were you." Jenni jumped. She turned to see Ron and Harry standing next to her. Ron was the one who had spoken. Just like she'd noticed earlier - there were Weasleys EVERYWHERE.  
  
"Why shouldn't I eat this? It's only candy."  
  
Ron and Harry both choked back a laugh. "Right. It's only candy. And knowing Fred and George you'll probably be growing an extra head if you eat that."  
  
Jenni held up her hands, "Ok, I get it. I don't want to eat it." Jenni was just contemplating what she should do to dispose of the apparently dangerous sweet when Bill walked up.  
  
"What's that?" He asked, looking at the candy in Jenni's hand.  
  
Jenni held back a grin. She couldn't resist. "Oh, just something I got from... Honeydukes a while back. I grabbed a few when we stopped by apartment. You want one?" Jenni held out the candy, praying that Ron and Harry would stay quiet.  
  
Bill took the candy without hesitation, and Jenni almost felt bad to see that he trusted her so much. She chanced a quick glance and found Ron and Harry waiting expectantly as he unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth. After several seconds of breathless anticipation... nothing happened. Ron shrugged when Jenni looked to him for an explanation. She looked to Harry next, but he looked even less informed.  
  
"So how does it taste?"  
  
"It tastes." Bill stopped mid sentence. "Ron, are you ok?"  
  
Jenni and Harry glanced at Ron. He had become slightly pale. "Bill, I think, I mean you're... you've..."  
  
At that moment the twins rejoined the group. "So... Jenni. Did you... try it?"  
  
Jenni never did turn around to find out which one asked the question. She let out a gasp as she looked at Bill. The man who usually towered at least a foot or more above her was now several inches shorter than her.  
  
"BILL!" Ginny gasped, breaking the sudden silence. "You've SHRUNK!"  
  
Bill glared immediately at the twins, realization hitting him. "I've shrunk?"  
  
Jenni held a hand over her mouth. She was caught between being horrified and the urge to laugh. She watched as the twins tried to explain the situation. However, before they had a chance Bill rounded on Jenni. "You think this is funny?"  
  
Jenni kept her hand over her mouth trying to hide the smile that was slowly making it's way onto her face. "Of course it's not funny." Desperate to distract him, she fished around for something else to say. Realization hit and she turned on the twins. "You gave me a candy that would make me SHORTER? You don't think I'm short enough? I would have been barely 2 feet tall!"  
  
George shot her an innocent grin. "Well, we were hoping you would have picked a different one."  
  
Fred jumped in. "Yeah! We wanted you to pick our Lemon Bubbles!"  
  
"Lemon Bubbles?" Jenni asked, curiosity getting the best of her.  
  
"Yeah! They're lemon flavored, but when you talk you blow bubbles!" Fred had become extremely excited and had just begun describing to Jenni the large array of products offered by Weasleys Wizard Wheezes when he was interrupted.  
  
"Ok, that's IT. I've had enough of this talk." Bill's voice broke through and he pointed at the twins. "You. Fix this. NOW!"  
  
George stammered. "Well.I.we.we can't fix it. It just wears off."  
  
Bill's face was beginning to turn purple. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T FIX IT?"  
  
"Just what I said. We can't fix it. Besides, it serves you right for stealing my letter." George gave Bill a superior look. Ginny started giggling again.  
  
Jenni caught the giggles. "Bill, really. It's not that bad."  
  
"Not that bad? There are goblins at Gringotts that are taller than I am. This is humiliating. And you!" Bill turned to Jenni. "You gave me that candy knowing it was from the twins."  
  
"Well, to be honest, I would have eaten it myself if Ron hadn't told me that it could have disastrous side effects." Jenni shot Bill her most innocent smile.  
  
Ron groaned. "Thanks for mentioning my name, Jenni."  
  
"You two were in on this as well?" Bill asked Ron and Harry. "You were all in on this?"  
  
"Well," Ron muttered. "We would have warned you if you hadn't been so greedy."  
  
"I think it's cute."  
  
Bill glared at Jenni. "Cute? Did you just say cute?"  
  
Jenni nodded. "Yes I did. I never understood why people would tell me being short was cute. Now I understand."  
  
Ron shrugged at Bill. "She's right you know. Short people are cute!"  
  
"Yeah, and besides," Fred pointed out. "You get to look up to us for a change!" Fred ducked behind Jenni just as Bill lunged towards him. He stopped short as Mrs. Weasley appeared.  
  
"What's going on here? I've called the lot of you several times already." Mrs. Weasley's eyes widened as she looked at her oldest son. "Oh dear. Bill, are you.have you.I.is everything all right here?"  
  
George grinned. "Everything is fine mum. Bill has just been having a bad day. He's rather in a sketchy mood about his height right now."  
  
Jenni, Ron, and Harry began to laugh. Mrs. Weasley scowled. "What have I told you two about those candies. One day you're going to find yourselves with something that won't wear off." She had gone off pointing at the twins. "Now, I suggest the lot of you get to the table. It's time to eat."  
  
Bill walked off following Mrs. Weasley. He turned around "You five are going to pay for this."  
  
Jenni's mouth dropped in shock. "Me?"  
  
"You especially." His eyes flashed. Jenni could have sworn she saw a hint of a smile on his face but she wasn't sure. The twins just put their arms around her and walked her towards the table.  
  
"You know, Jenni," Fred began, "You were brilliant."  
  
"Absolutely perfect." George cut in. "I mean we were a bit disappointed that you didn't eat the candy. But that was the first time Bill has ever been tricked."  
  
"Which means you'll be in big trouble!" Fred finished.  
  
Jenni rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the warning."  
  
As she started to take her seat across from a still fuming mini-Bill, Jenni heard Mrs. Weasley turn to someone behind her. "Oh, Nancy, you're up! Wonderful, we were just going to eat."  
  
Jenni stiffened, suddenly nervous, despite Charlie's encouraging words earlier. Bill shot her a concerned look from across the table, as best he could while kneeling on the seat.  
  
"Thanks so much, Mrs. Weasley, I don't mean to be such a bother..." Nancy started nervously, but was waved off by the Weasley matriarch.  
  
"Don't be silly, dear. Charlie, you're sitting down there by..." there was a brief pause and her mouth twitched, "Bill." She put a hand to her mouth and scurried off to the kitchen to get the rest of the food.  
  
Nancy shot Charlie a confused look, what had gotten into his mother? She glanced around the table - the twins sent her big welcoming grins, which she returned, and looked quite proud of themselves, which made her a bit nervous. There was a tall red-headed boy sitting by Harry Potter at one end of the table, she supposed he must be Ron, and there were two girls down there, one with brown bushy hair and one with the Weasley red. They all smiled at her, although the young Weasley girl seemed to be fighting down giggles, and her brother looked a bit red at the ears. Her eyes moved on, and she waved to Percy before stopping at the back of Jenni's head. Her friend wasn't turned to look at them, and Nancy's stomach dropped.  
  
Before she could convince Charlie to let her go back upstairs, however, she noticed that the tallest of the Weasleys was not at the table. "Charlie," she whispered, "Where's Bill?"  
  
"Bill?" Charlie looked over at her from where he had been hearing an account of a very interesting letter to George from Ron and Harry. "Well, isn't he sitting by..." he turned and looked at Jenni. "He's probably just inside or something... where're we supposed to sit, Perce?"  
  
Percy groaned and pointed across the table at two empty seats.  
  
"BY ME, you sodding wanker of a brother!" Bill's irate voice sent the entire table off into a fit of giggles. Charlie and Nancy looked at each other in confusion and Jenni put her head into her hands thinking that he really was going to kill her when he grew back to normal size.  
  
"Well, brother dear," Charlie started, leading Nancy around the table, "if you choose to hide under the dinner table when we come down..." he stopped suddenly, as they were confronted by the sight of a four foot something Bill glaring in what would be a very intimidating way if he had been his normal size.  
  
Charlie's face broke into a wide smile. "What happened? You and Jenni get in another fight?"  
  
"Oh it was nothing that interesting Charlie!" Fred was positively bursting to tell his brother what had happened. "In fact."  
  
"SHUT UP FRED!" Bill's eyes shifted causing the twin to become silent.  
  
Nancy struggled to hold back her giggles, and looking up she caught Jenni looking guiltily amused. Their eyes met, and despite the unsettled feelings between them, their laughter sent the entire table off again. When he could breathe, Charlie walked over and patted his "big" brother on the back. "Don't worry, I'll protect you till you grow up again, little buddy."  
  
Dodging the blow that Bill sent at him, Charlie steered a still laughing Nancy to her seat. Just then, Mrs. Weasley came out with a large casserole in her hands, followed by her husband carrying a huge bowl of potatoes. Her look caused the laughter to slowly subside, and soon it was just Nancy, Jenni and Ginny fighting down hiccups from having laughed too hard as the boys were all focused on shoveling food into their mouths.  
  
Percy was grilled on his reason for working on a Saturday by the twins, and after a few glares, he revealed that NOËLLE had revealed her plan to do a bit of extra work last night at the party. "I just went in cause Dad couldn't, and I don't think the likes of her should be left alone in the Ministry building!"  
  
"You're right, you know," Fred said blithely. "Far too pretty, that one."  
  
Percy blushed bright red and muttered incoherently about dangerous blondes.  
  
George elbowed Fred. "Don't think you should say that too loud. I know a certain sixth year who wouldn't approve."  
  
It was Fred's turn to flush angrily, and Charlie grinned, remembering the story he'd heard when he first came home. "Yes, how DID Marion give you that bruise on your jaw?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley's head snapped around. Apparently SHE had not been informed as to the exact cause of the mark. Fred went a bit purple and muttered something.  
  
"What was that, Fred? Couldn't quite hear you..." it was Ron's turn to chime in helpfully.  
  
Shooting death glares at the smug looking lot of them, Fred repeated himself. "Tickling. Dangerous stuff." He sat there for a minute, looking distinctly uncomfortable, before grinning a bit evilly. "At least I'm taller than her." He turned and looked at Bill, who looked quite ready to take on the whole table if anyone so much as cracked a smile.  
  
"I still taught you every hex you know, Fred Weasley," he said in a low, dangerous voice that did funny things to Jenni's spine. "And this wand is NOT reliant on my size to be effective."  
  
Charlie choked on something, and was coughing for the next minute or so while Nancy pounded on his back. Mrs. Weasley covered for him, saying "Of course it isn't, dear..." and Mr. Weasley was pulled out of his animated discussion of the good points of his pretty but destructive assistant enough to shake his head at his second oldest son.  
  
Ginny's squeal broke the silence, "Oh NO! Ron you WOULDN'T! Seamus is so nice, and... and..." she trailed off and flushed when she realized the rest of the table was staring at her.  
  
"And handsome and Irish?" finished Ron innocently. "Well, sure... but he asked for it, and..." he broke off, glaring at his little sister. "You're not gonna WARN him, are you, Gin?"  
  
The tiny red-head blushed harder. "I will if I want to, Ron Weasley. He should at least know what to watch out for!"  
  
Harry and Hermione burst out laughing, as brother and sister glared daggers at each other. The rest of the family exchanged looks and worked on finishing off their meals.  
  
Ginny made one last comment, turning to the two laughing fifth years, "Harry! HERMIONE! I can't believe you two are in on this!"  
  
They stopped laughing and looked a bit uncomfortable. Hermione glared at Ron, who paled slightly. Harry shook his head and said, "Well, we're not really, Gin, we both made Ron and Seamus promise to leave us out of it."  
  
"Although your brother doesn't seem to be able to keep his big mouth shut," added Hermione with a roll of her eyes.  
  
The bickering down their end continued, but more quietly, and Jenni had to laugh as she watched Ron and Hermione start a rather heated argument about the relative size of his mouth and his ability to keep it shut. Poor Harry, he hadn't been exaggerating.  
  
Mrs. Weasley started picking up plates, and out of habit said, "Charlie, Bill, go bring out the desserts..." before realizing that she'd just embarrassed her already irate eldest by bringing him front and center again. Shaking her head at her brood, she smiled when both Nancy and Jenni jumped up and starting gathering the other dirty dishes. "You two, far too nice for THIS bunch." She glared around at her children, who were lounging about the table, "Except you and Hermione, Harry dear. You know that you're not expected to help, being guests."  
  
Grinning, the two young women ignored her protests and followed her into the kitchen with their stacks of plates, passing Charlie and the still short Bill on their way out with what smelled like apple pie.  
  
"Hey there, short stuff," Nancy whistled low, unable to help herself when such a perfect comic opportunity stared her in the face, "...looking good!"  
  
Bill shot her a startled glance, before realizing what she was doing. Jenni couldn't help jumping in. She batted her eyelashes at Charlie, "Who's your LITTLE brother? He's awfully cute..."  
  
The two men stood there in a confused silence as Nancy and Jenni brushed past them. They made it to the kitchen before they broke down into giggles. Mrs. Weasley took their stacks of plates from them with a grin as they collapsed into the kitchen chairs.  
  
Bill knew that he was bright red, something that hadn't happened to him in YEARS. He'd worked so hard to overcome the Weasley curse - that damn fair skin that left every emotion so easy to read. As he turned to watch the two women sashay - yes, by Merlin they were SASHAYING - off to the kitchens, he caught his brother's thunderstruck expression.  
  
Charlie was in the middle of a losing battle. For one, he was busy trying to push away the sharp stab of jealousy that had immediately hit him when Nancy had suddenly turned her irreverent flirtatiousness on Bill. It was absurd! She'd been JOKING, and he damn well knew it, so why couldn't he just laugh? And the second problem was that in the middle of trying to subdue these irrational feelings, he'd made the mistake of turning to watch her walk away. If you could call that WALKING. He was pretty sure it was illegal in most cities nowadays to walk like that.  
  
"Bloody hell, you two!" Ron's voice jogged them out of their stupor, and they turned around just in time to see him remove the pie from Charlie's limp fingers. George was doing the same to Bill. "Don't you have any respect at all for Mum's pies? You could have DROPPED them!"  
  
The boys who remained sitting at the table sent their older siblings scathing looks, while Ginny and Hermione exchanged a knowing glance that set them off giggling. Mr. Weasley was coughing suspiciously loudly, and motioned for them to sit down.  
  
"I'm sure the women will be back out with the plates in a moment," he said, his eyes twinkling.  
  
Both blushing fiercely, they shuffled over to their seats, and the younger students on the other end of the table watched in amazement. "Harry," said Ron in a stage whisper, "if I ever get that besotted, I don't want you to let me go around in public."  
  
Oddly enough, as everyone including Ron's oldest brothers noted with interest, Harry's answer was to snort and send a sly look at Hermione, who was busy enough glaring at Ron that she didn't catch it.  
  
There were three very red-faced Weasleys sitting at the table when Nancy and Jenni made their way back out, having composed themselves with much difficulty. Mrs. Weasley followed them, and Jenni noticed that an awful lot of significant looks were passing between the observant mother and Mr. Weasley. She leaned in, hoping to hear more about what Bill's reaction to the teasing had been, but a smooth whisper cut her off. "I could just tell you, and save you the embarrassment of being caught."  
  
Bill was inches away from her ear, and from the look of it, the candy was finally starting to wear off. He was certainly at least a few inches taller than she was, Jenni noted with a nervous swallow. "Let's just say... Charlie and I had a momentary lapse and nearly splattered apple pie all over the ground. I'm fairly sure we were staring at the kitchen door."  
  
Nancy was too busy trying not to notice that Charlie's eyes were burning holes in the side of her head as she carefully dished out the pie to pick up on the whispered explanations. Finally, she only had two pieces left to cut - her own and Charlie's.  
  
"We'll just share." Charlie reached in and dumped the remaining slice onto his plate. Confused, Nancy turned to look at him. His eyes were challenging. "Unless you'd rather share it with my brother?"  
  
Charlie was calling himself all kinds of names, most of them including the word 'stupid' at some point, even as he couldn't stop himself from muttering the insane accusation at her. He was mildly relieved when her eyebrows drew together in confusion. "What? One of your brothers wants to share their pie with me?" she whispered, glancing around the table. "Why would they do that?"  
  
Figuring 'in for a knut, in for a galleon,' Charlie gritted his teeth and spelled it out for her. "Maybe because you seemed happy enough to..." he paused and, groping for the words, made a useless gesture towards the kitchen door. "... to put on that display!"  
  
Her eyes widened and he saw sudden understanding dawn in them. Charlie tensed, waiting to be chewed out, quite rightfully, for being an obnoxious git. He honestly didn't understand what was wrong with him, anyhow. But nothing happened. Nancy just grabbed a fork and started in on the mound of apple pie on his plate. When he gathered up the courage to look into her face after a minute or two, there was a big grin plastered there.  
  
"You were JEALOUS!" she whispered after finishing her mouthful of pie. The grin widened. "Jealous, just because I whistled at your four foot tall brother!"  
  
Charlie grunted and grabbed the remaining fork, weighing it in his hand like a weapon. "Well, how do I know you don't like short men or something?"  
  
Nancy let out a laugh that startled the rest of the table, and then she dropped her fork full of gooey apples back onto the plate and covered her mouth with both hands. Charlie stared at her a moment before relaxing. She was laughing so hard that she couldn't breathe, and Charlie couldn't help pulling her into his arms, even though he knew that his entire family was watching them. He was just so damn relieved.  
  
She shook uncontrollably against him as she tried to contain her laughter. Charlie winked around at the rest of the table. "I'm just too funny, you know... poor thing isn't used to a guy with my wit!" The rest of his brothers rolled their eyes and went back to their pie and quidditch talk, or in Percy's case, deep political discussions... about blondes, he supposed. Charlie had just decided to put the fork to use and start in on his share of dessert when he noticed Nancy start hiccuping.  
  
He quirked a grin and started rubbing her back, "Come on now, if you laugh much harder you'll lose your dinner." She hiccuped a few more times, but his hand seemed to quiet her enough that she was able to start breathing again.  
  
"If someone had ever told me that Charlie Weasley would get insecure over watching me flirt with his... his shrunken brother..." she gasped out, shaking her head. He shrugged and whispered into her hair, "Didn't really matter that it was mini-Bill... I just wanted you to be looking at me."  
  
Nancy shivered a bit at the intensity in his voice. She sat there, snuggled up against him for a few more minutes before someone's voice intruded on her comfortable haze.  
  
"Are you two going to eat that? Because if you're not..." Fred was gazing longingly down the table at the unfinished mound of apples and pie-crust on Charlie's plate. Nancy snapped to attention, sitting up suddenly and grabbing her fork. Jenni laughed outright, and grinned at the disappointed twin. "I've never seen Nancy leave a dessert unfinished," she said, "and I doubt tonight will be a first in that category."  
  
Everyone laughed, and Nancy felt her skin heat up a bit. Charlie leaned down and kissed the top of her head as she chewed, before finally joining in her assault on the mound of apples. "Better get started if I want any," he muttered good-naturedly.  
  
As they finished, the rest of the family began to drift away from the table. Mr. Weasley helped bring in the dishes from dessert at Mrs. Weasley's insistence, and once the kitchen door swung shut behind them the only people left sitting were Jenni, Bill (now his normal height and looking rather menacing), Charlie and Nancy.  
  
Nancy let loose a huge yawn, her earlier tiredness suddenly catching up to her, and Jenni eyed her nervously. "Nancy? How are you feeling? I mean..." she trailed off, uncertain as to how to express concern over having chased her best friend away from the place where she was supposed to be recovering. Bill seemed to sense her discomfort, because his hand reached into her lap to cover her shaking ones.  
  
"I'm feeling..." Oh crap, Nancy thought, she had to ask that now. She didn't feel at all ready to explain the entirety of her injury to Jenni, despite her brave words to Charlie earlier. "Fine? OW!" She grimaced at Charlie who was glaring down at her warningly. "Did you just kick me?"  
  
His face turned innocent so fast that she blinked. "Nope, must be your leg giving you trouble again." Charlie maintained eye contact with her the whole time, daring Nancy to deny it in front of him.  
  
She blanched, and then her eyes narrowed dangerously for a second. Turning to Bill, who had been watching the exchange closely, and Jenni, who was trying to look like it was no big deal, Nancy murmured, "He's right, I'm awfully sore and worn out. I think I'll call it a night." She winced when she saw Jenni bite her lip, hating to draw out the wait until she laid the whole truth out in front of her best friend, but... she'd be damned if Charlie was going to rush her into it.  
  
Bill, who was still holding Jenni's hands tightly, shot an inquiring look at his brother as Nancy started getting up. Charlie rolled his eyes at him and mouthed, "Scared" before scrambling up and taking Nancy by the arm. "Well, it's a good thing that you and Jenni share the same room, then..."  
  
"Wha..." Nancy started, confused, but Bill cut her off, a plan already forming.  
  
"And since poor Jenni is really quite exhausted herself, you two can just continue this discussion upstairs."  
  
It was Jenni's turn to protest. "But I'm not..."  
  
Shaking their heads dramatically, the brothers hefted both women up over their shoulders and headed for the house.  
  
"So sad when they don't know what's best for themselves, isn't it, Bill?" Charlie held open the door as Bill passed with a fuming Jenni and headed for the stairs.  
  
"See, that's exactly what I was thinking, Charlie." Bill grinned as he swung open their bedroom door and deposited Jenni with a quick swish onto his bed.  
  
"Now you two play nice in here." Charlie dropped Nancy a bit more gently onto his own bed and winked at her outraged and panicked face.  
  
"Yes, we want happy smiling faces in the morning." Bill grabbed Jenni's wand from the night stand before she had the chance to even look at it. "I'll just keep this."  
  
"You know, this hurts us more than it hurts you," Charlie commented dolefully as he proceeded to swipe Nancy's wand and back towards the door. Bill pulled it shut just as Jenni reached them and with a muttered locking spell it was finished. 


	14. Shadows, Sorrys and Snape again?

A/N - oh my. This chapter just took forever. This is one of the PROBLEMS of writing together... we have to have time to meet up! Blame it on the holidays, folks! Or maybe on the fact that Nancy has suddenly learned the value of sleep. ;)  
  
Anyway... after much waiting we bring you - chapter 14! Enjoy. Notes at the bottom.  
  
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Jenni reached for the doorknob and pulled on it furiously although she knew it was useless. With a frustrated scream she kicked the door.  
  
"They locked us in?" Nancy asked unbelievingly.  
  
"They locked us in." Jenni glared at the door for a minute before trudging back to Bill's bed. "Not to mention they took our wands as well." She threw her shoe at the door, for good measure, and was pleased to hear the surprised yelps of the two men still listening on the other side of the wood.  
  
The two girls grinned at each other before breaking eye contact. After several moments of silence, Jenni looked at Nancy. It was killing her to be in the same room as Nancy and not feel able to pour her heart out about everything that had happened. Enough was enough. Jenni took a deep breath and muttered out her apology.  
  
"Nancy, I'm sorry."  
  
"Jenni, I'M sorry." Nancy shook her head and looked away.  
  
Jenni watched as Nancy sat on Charlie's bed facing her. "Nancy I really am sorry. I was such a prat earlier."  
  
Nancy shrugged. "Yeah, you were." She watched as Jenni's mouth opened in protest. "But so was I."  
  
Jenni gave a weak smile. "Yeah you were." She said mimicking Nancy's earlier comment. "But I should have never said the things I did. I didn't mean it, you know. Especially what I said about Charlie and Harry. It was so... wrong."  
  
Nancy's eyes flashed. "You bet your ass it was wrong! Do you know how embarrassed I was?"  
  
Jenni hung her head. "I know." Not lifting her head to meet Nancy's gaze Jenni continued. "I'm sorry you think that I treat you like an eleven year old. I never meant for you to feel that way. It's just I worry about you and I tend to overreact. And... you've got to admit that you weren't letting me in at all."  
  
The fire in her friend's brown eyes faded. "Yeah, I know." Nancy's hand instinctively went to the still-sore gash. Jenni caught the motion, and walked over, sitting next to her on Charlie's bed.  
  
"Can I see it?"  
  
"It's... it's not all cleaned up yet." Nancy shot a rather nervous look at her friend. "I... it was so messy that I sortof, well, I missed that it was getting infected." She winced, her hand still resting on the pant leg which hid the sore, waiting for the explosion. Nothing happened.  
  
When she finally looked up, Jenni's face was very sad. "I wish I could've helped..."  
  
Nancy immediately looked guilty. "I... it seemed better not to get you involved." She flushed a bit, knowing how bad this was going to sound. "Why? Why on earth wouldn't you want me involved in helping you get better?" The indignant tone in Jenni's voice made Nancy sigh, and she flopped down onto the pillows, breathing in the comforting smell of Charlie as she searched for a way to explain.  
  
"It... well, do you remember why I decided to get my own apartment?"  
  
"It was some kind of, you needing to prove to people that you could handle it." Jenni's voice was gently disapproving. "Which was silly, since we all KNEW you could handle it... and I'm stuck living alone, now."  
  
Rubbing a hand over her face, Nancy stared up at the ceiling. "Well, it wasn't so much PEOPLE, it was YOU. I'd spent the last few years of school living up to your legacy... proving my intelligence as it were..."  
  
Jenni stood up with a sigh, "I've heard this before, Nancy... and..."  
  
"Just listen, ok?"  
  
Uncertain as to what was coming next, Jenni retreated across the dark room, throwing herself face down onto Bill's bed. "Go ahead."  
  
"So... I was so excited to show you that I was as grown up as you. Which was stupid, of course, cause I WASN'T... but, hindsight and all. Anyway. I was trying to prove myself to you. And, when the dragon wound happened..."  
  
"DRAGON WOUND?" Jenni shot straight up off of the bed. "DRAGON?" she repeated, stunned. "You... it... Romania... DRAGON?" Nancy nodded sharply. "Holy Merlin... do you KNOW how dangero..."  
  
"YES. I know. Let me finish, please." Nancy's voice was strained. This explanation was hard enough without listening to more lectures about her own stupidity.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Well, I got hurt, and you dropped me at St. Mungo's the next morning, remember?" Jenni sat down, nodding her agreement. "I... they looked it over and told me that it looked suspicious and they asked me where I'd gotten hurt. Well, while I was waiting to be seen by the medi-witches I'd had a conversation with the receptionist. She said..." Nancy gulped, knowing that Jenni wasn't going to like what she was about to say.  
  
"What?" Fighting her every instinct, Jenni kept herself quiet.  
  
"She said that the Daily Prophet has great insurance for employees - the only thing that it doesn't cover is..."  
  
"Dragons. Oh bloody hell... that's right."  
  
"Yeah, dragons. So - the antidote I needed was rare, being as there aren't dragons IN Britain anymore, and expensive. I didn't tell you because... well, I knew that you'd feel obligated, and..."  
  
"The MONEY?" Jenni couldn't keep the hurt out of her words. "You kept this from me because you didn't want to deal with the money?"  
  
"I... neither one of us has 80 galleons to spare... and..." Jenni was about to interrupt, but Nancy waved her down. "No, I KNOW it was stupid. But a girl's got her pride, even if it IS stupid..."  
  
"Not just STUPID! LIFE THREATENING! I mean, bloody hell Nancy! There's only one other way to counteract a dragon wound and those potions have been outlawed for..." Jenni trailed off, noticing an odd color flushing over Nancy's face. A terrible idea flashed into her head, along with a vision of Nancy's kitchen, the table covered by simmering pots of... Her voice went flat. "You tried to make it."  
  
"TRIED being the operative word there." It was honestly a big weight off of Nancy's shoulders, knowing that she didn't have to come up with lies anymore. Now they could deal with the consequences, maybe it would be too much for Jenni, but at least the truth was out. "I couldn't get the last ingredient in time, and Charlie figured me out last night. He made me take his emergency antidote."  
  
"As he damn well should have..." Jenni's mind was swirling. "So... you're telling me, for two weeks, you were fighting off DRAGON poison as you tried to make a HIGHLY dangerous and ILLEGAL potion because you wouldn't ask for money?"  
  
"And because... I thought it was what you would have done." Nancy's voice was very small.  
  
Jenni was momentarily speechless. "What... What. I. Would. Have. DONE?" Her blue eyes blazed, and for a moment, Nancy could almost SEE the anger from the other side of the room. "Ignore my friends? Take my life into my own hands? BREAK THE LAW!?! No, that is NOT what..."  
  
"I meant," Nancy's soft sigh echoed louder than any yell would have. "I meant that you would have HANDLED it. You wouldn't have run to anyone for instructions."  
  
There was a long silence as Jenni watched her anger fade in front of her own eyes. After a moment, a forlorn little sniff reminded her that Nancy was still waiting to hear her reaction. Without hesitation, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and padded over to where Nancy lay.  
  
"You don't have to prove yourself to me."  
  
Nancy's answer was another sniff.  
  
"I'm serious. I know you didn't mean it this morning, but you probably ARE the smartest witch I know - and the most capable."  
  
This time there was a snort, but Nancy did thaw enough to turn over and face her.  
  
"Although, for one of the most intelligent and able witches in England, you certainly do test your limits enough." Jenni's voice was wry and a bit tired.  
  
Nancy laughed, just a little - enough to diffuse a bit of the tension. "I'm really sorry to put you through all of this stuff. I mean, if Charlie hadn't been stubborn enough to follow me today... that was so stupid of me, running for my tree. I never would have made it out of the forest without help."  
  
"Just... let's stick to a buddy system," Jenni suggested half-flippantly as she leaned over to hug her best friend. "No stupid stuff without a partner."  
  
Nancy pulled out of the hug slightly and grinned. "Buddy system it is." Her smile turned downright mischievous. "Do redheads count as buddies? Cause Mrs. Weasley was insinuating that YOU have been practicing STUFF with a certain partner... Just HOW many times have you two kissed now?"  
  
Jenni blushed bright red and grabbed Charlie's pillow from the bed, whacking her friend over the head with it. "Enough of THAT." She tried to muster up some dignity. "Bed time!"  
  
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Jenni sighed and settled into the pillows. She listened to the steady sound of Nancy breathing and knew that she was sleeping peacefully. Her eyelids were getting heavy and she knew it would only be minutes before she was asleep as well. Jenni rolled over as she heard the door creak open. A small beam of light filtered in and she could see two figures standing by the door talking in hushed whispers.  
  
"I told you they would be asleep." "Ok, fine. Let's just put the wands back and go."  
  
Jenni sat up. "You'd better quiet down if you don't want to wake up Nancy." Her voice visibly startled the two. Charlie had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed. Bill glared.  
  
Jenni returned the glare, ignoring Charlie as he made his way over to Nancy. "So, you decided to steal my wand did you?"  
  
"And you gave me that candy from the twins." Bill snapped.  
  
Jenni shrugged. "It was just a candy. I didn't know you were going to get so hacked off about it."  
  
"Hacked off?" Bill's voice rose a notch. "You have no idea what that candy could have done. Those two are ruthless when it comes to that kind of stuff."  
  
"And I bet if it had been anyone else to eat that candy you would have found the situation just as funny as everyone else did. Am I right?" Jenni shot a superior look towards Bill as he struggled to find words.  
  
Jenni grinned as Bill managed to finally choke out a response. "It's not funny." However, he was unable to keep from smiling.  
  
"I knew it! I was right!" Jenni was practically bouncing on the bed. "And you said Weasleys were always right! HA!"  
  
Jenni was caught off guard as a pillow came flying across the room and hit her full on in the face. A quick look and a menacing whisper told her that Charlie was none too pleased with the amount of noise she had been making. "Keep it down," he growled.  
  
Just as Jenni stood up to throw the pillow back, Bill had managed to cross the short distance and stop her.  
  
"You wouldn't want that to hit Nancy would you?" he whispered in her ear. The soft sound of his voice sent a shiver through her and before she knew it, he was sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard and had pulled her down next to him.  
  
Seeing that Bill had undertaken to control Jenni's exuberant outbursts, Charlie turned back to the girl who was sleeping peacefully in his bed. He set the beaker of potion that his mother had whipped up to combat the infection of Nancy's wound on the bedside table with a little note. Plucking her glasses off of her face, he laid them right next to the healing potion, hoping that she would notice it when she awoke.  
  
His mind wandered a bit as he tried not to listen to the snippets of conversation he heard from the other side of the room and seized on the letter that now lay opened in his pocket. Although he hadn't really expected it, he'd been released from his contract in Romania. His overseer had written that his obligation to them was being transferred to one James Dorallen, UK Ministry of Magic. Although Charlie had never been keen on owing his allegiance to that tangled bureaucracy, he felt better knowing that he was at least going to be around to help his parents if the situation became as dark as they seemed to fear.  
  
Until those fears came to light, however, he had another reason to be glad that he would remain in England. She was currently lying in his bed. Charlie grinned to himself and reached a hand out to smooth her hair.  
  
"You'll be seeing more of me, Nancy-girl, you can count on it."  
  
Jenni sat still for a few minutes, her head resting on Bill's chest, but she jumped when he spoke again. "So, am I forgiven?" The hint of mischief in his voice caused her to turn crimson, and she was thankful for the cover of darkness.  
  
"Forgiven for what?"  
  
The confusion in her voice made Bill laugh softly. "For stealing your wand and locking you in here."  
  
"Oh, that." Jenni's voice held a note of sarcasm. "Sure. I guess you're forgiven."  
  
Bill leaned forward and kissed the top of Jenni's forehead. "Thank you. Now I can let you go back to sleep."  
  
Jenni flashed an evil smile as she watched Bill move off the bed. "Don't thank me yet. I only said you were forgiven. It's definitely not forgotten."  
  
"That's all right," Bill shot back. "I haven't forgotten about that candy you gave me. I guess you could say we're even."  
  
"Not even. I never get even, Weasley." Jenni flashed her most innocent smile at Bill as he headed towards the door. "I get ahead."  
  
Bill turned and nodded his head, his eyes glittering. "Just watch your back, Ferguson." He stood at the doorway waiting for Charlie. His eyes wandered back to the small brunette who was currently burrowing under his covers, getting comfortable in his bed. He would definitely have to watch his own back around her. Although, he thought, he might just enjoy this.  
  
Hearing his brother's footsteps, Charlie rightly deduced that Bill and Jenni had settled their issues for the night, and got up to leave. As he reached the door, a pillow caught him square in the back and the sound of stifled giggling wafted over from Bill's side of the room. GIRLS, he thought with a smile, tossing the pillow gently back onto his own bed next to Nancy and waving goodnight to Jenni.  
  
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"Ok, so... how big a focus do we make her background?" Jenni's face was in deep thought as she posed the question.  
  
"Nancy? NANCY!"  
  
Her friend jerked to attention, hastily grabbing her notes on the Snape/McAuthor interview. "Um, yes, good idea..." she said quickly, hoping to make Jenni think that she'd been paying attention.  
  
"Merlin's ghost, Nancy... that's the fifth time since lunch you've zoned out!" Jenni groaned. "What's WRONG?"  
  
Sighing, Nancy laid her papers back on the table and got up to pace the small office. It had been three days since they'd left the burrow, and she certainly had been thinking about the Weasleys, and a certain Dragon Tamer, quite often. But that wasn't the problem today.  
  
"It's this meeting. I can't figure out what he wants! I mean, do you think he knows about the..." she paused and looked around before pointing at her leg. It still bore a thin bandage, but now that the infection had been exposed, it was fading quickly.  
  
"Nonsense." Jenni pushed a bit of hair out of her eyes and looked up at her friend, trying to act as though she didn't know a thing about why their boss had asked Nancy to meet with him this afternoon. "There's no way he could know about it, and even if he DID, it's none of his business. You still came to work, you didn't charge the Prophet for anything..."  
  
"But what else could he WANT?" Nancy flung herself down into her chair in frustration. "Oh, it's no use. Here, give me the bit about the school. I'll write up some quick job descriptions for them."  
  
"What are you going to say?" Jenni's suspicious look was met with an entirely innocent one as she gathered together the notes she had on the two professors.  
  
"The truth, of course!" Nancy grinned, nervousness forgotten for a moment. "Professor Snape is currently employed as the resident BAT of Hogwarts, and spends his time sucking the points and blood out of Gryffindor house..."  
  
"You'd better NOT!" Jenni could only hold her straight face for a few seconds. "You wouldn't want to misrepresent him. You forgot the full description - VAMPIRE bat."  
  
Nancy stuck her tongue out and made a show of scribbling down VAMPIRE on her blank parchment. "Oh, EVER so sorry."  
  
There was a moment of silence, as a still grinning Jenni scratched away at her draft and Nancy sat there, tapping the desk nervously and staring at the notes. Suddenly both of them looked up and spoke.  
  
"I guess I can't ACTUALLY use that, huh?" "You do know you can't REALLY say that..."  
  
Rolling her eyes, Nancy muttered an erasure charm and laid her quill down, reaching over Jenni's bent head for a very large, slightly dusty book on a low shelf.  
  
"Never thought I'd be GLAD that you kept your copy of Hogwarts a History in the office, you know..." she muttered as she flipped to the descriptions of the various teaching positions.  
  
Jenni bit her lip and flushed, not looking up. "You know perfectly well that I only brought it in when you gave me the new expanded edition for Christmas last year. And you can't mock me when YOU'RE using it," she added quickly, seeing the grin on Nancy's face.  
  
Nancy just grunted in answer, her eyebrows already lowered as she started to focus on her work. She was so absorbed in the search for an explanation of living arrangements for married couples at Hogwarts that she didn't even notice when the clock chimed. Jenni did, however and looked up.  
  
The hand was pointing to, "Hurry, or you're going to be late!"  
  
"Nancy!" she reached over and pried the book from her friend's hands. "You've got to go."  
  
"Hey! I wasn't done! I was just reading about how a Charms Professor in the 1500s pissed off the statue in front of his chambers and it walked away! He couldn't get into his rooms!" Nancy made a futile grab for the huge book, moaning as Jenni slammed it shut, before the full import of what Jenni had said sunk in.  
  
"Oh CRAP!" She jumped up, stuffing papers into a sack and throwing her work robes on over the casual clothes she preferred when writing. "Why didn't you TELL me? I'm going to be late... oh man, what if he wants to know about... Do I look presentable?"  
  
"Nancy, you're fine. Get going!" Jenni almost said that she'd see her friend tonight, but caught herself just in time and smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, ok? I'm... I'm headed home now."  
  
After making sure that Nancy was well and truly on her way to the meeting, Jenni cleaned up and set off with a grin. She knew that Nancy was expecting to head home to a long, dull, night of working on the profile piece on Snape and his fiancée.  
  
In actuality, Jenni had carefully planned a nice dinner with Bill and Charlie as a surprise - a congratulatory one. She had been informed previously that the meeting Nancy had been called to was to promote her to be Jenni's full partner, big news in itself. But besides that, her friend deserved a night free from work. Jenni knew that Nancy would be thrilled to see Charlie, and even though some part of her hated to admit it, she was looking forward to seeing Bill again.  
  
Reaching Nancy's apartment, she struggled with the bags in her hand as she rummaged for the keys to unlock the door. She just hoped she would have enough time to cook the spaghetti and meat sauce before Nancy got home. Oh well, she though, shrugging. At least she'd remembered to pick up extra meat, Parmesan cheese, and garlic bread.  
  
Finally managing to open the door, Jenni deposited her bags on the floor and searched for the light switch. She and Nancy had enchanted it to activate a large chain of spells that carefully illuminated every room in the apartment; the only drawback being that the newly magical object sometimes liked to move around. Suddenly, a small rustling noise made Jenni freeze, every hair on her neck standing on end. Something wasn't right.  
  
The bags were all but forgotten as Jenni reached for her wand. The noise was coming from directly in front of her. Tightening her grip on her wand, Jenni moved cautiously forward, praying that it was just a rodent or some small critter. Her heart began to pound inside of her chest as she heard another noise - the whisper of fabric as someone moved slightly, maybe raising an arm or shifting a leg. Her eyes went wide as a large dark figure separated itself from the shadows.  
  
Jenni's mind raced a mile a minute - she had to stun it or blast it or scream. She had to do something! While her brain willed her to move she stood rooted to the floor. Her hand was shaking and she didn't think she'd be able to hold her wand steady enough to aim properly.  
  
Before she could even open her mouth, much less steady her hands, a low sinister voice snaked its way across the darkened room to her.  
  
"Home so early, my dear? I had hoped to leave you a... surprise. But it appears I will get to give it to you in person."  
  
'He thinks I'm Nancy...' Jenni realized with a start. Her throat clenched as she wondered if Nancy knew about her apparent stalker, and had forgotten to tell her about yet another part of her life. The small burst of anger had the effect that her earlier panic hadn't - her hands stopping quivering and she raised her wand.  
  
"Won't you come over here and take your... present?" His voice was cold and smooth; she could almost see the insincerity and malice dripping from it despite the darkness.  
  
"Who are you?" Finally finding her voice, Jenni's harsh whisper hung in the silent room for a moment as she stayed right where she was, wand out and nerves humming.  
  
"I don't think that's important now, is it?" His voice was closer, almost behind her. Jenni nearly panicked and spun around, but her mind registered just in time that the shadow was still in front of her. Suddenly, a small part of her brain that wasn't busy being very very afraid realized that he was definitely a wizard - and one who was using a voice throw spell quite nicely.  
  
'I can handle this' she thought a bit desperately. How many hours had she spent practicing nasty hexes after a particularly grueling Potions Class? She knew how to defend herself. And the first thing to do...  
  
"LUMOS!"  
  
Light filled the room, revealing a rather large man in hooded black robes. He was indeed in front of her and not, as the voice had led her to believe, sneaking up to her back. This knowledge only made her feel slightly better, however, because she knew what those robes meant. She was being threatened by a Death Eater.  
  
And now he knew that she wasn't Nancy. Shit, that hadn't occurred to her. Praying that he would just give up and go, she pointed her wand at him again and tried to summon up the focus for a stunning spell.  
  
He was too quick for her. "Ah, not Miss Gwin? Too bad. But I suppose that I could leave you as the surprise... yes, that might be better - Jennifer, isn't it?"  
  
Jenni's confusion and revulsion at his words - how did he know her NAME? - gave the man the time he needed to fire off a series of hexes. It was all Jenni could do to run over to the wall, dodging the blazing spells as they came at her.  
  
Deciding to forgo the proper mindset that McGonagall had always stressed in her classes, Jenni fired off a half-baked "STUPEFY!" It hit him - he had not been expecting her to actually respond - but did no more damage than to throw him back against the wall.  
  
His wand was up and he had thrown a binding curse at her even as he slammed backwards. It just missed her, but the explosion it caused when it struck the wall behind her was enough to send her flying face first into the kitchen table.  
  
"Dammit," Jenni bit her lip and tried to make the room stop spinning, not wanting him to know how much that had hurt. She pulled herself up off the floor shouting the first spell that came to mind.  
  
"Wingardium Leviosa!"  
  
It was a basic charm from first year, so ingrained in her now that she didn't even have to think about the swish and flick motion. Thus, her spell was powerful enough to lift a chair into the air and send it crashing down on top of him.  
  
Or it would have crashed on top of him, but almost lazily, he sidestepped it. His face darkened however, and as he pointed his wand at Jenni again, his words sent chills through her.  
  
"Is that all the head girl can do? My my, so disappointing. My master will not be pleased. He had such high hopes for you, you know. CRUCIO!"  
  
Jenni's eyes widened, even as she instinctively dove to the side. An Unforgivable curse? She'd heard the rumors that the Death Eaters used them with impunity, but... she'd hoped to never find out.  
  
"What do I care if your overlord isn't happy?" she managed to spit out as she racked her brain for a better defense. Unable to come up with any, she aimed and hoped that without his wand he'd be no threat.  
  
"Expelliarmus!" "CRUCIO!"  
  
Caught mid-spell, Jenni had no chance to duck or scramble. The pain hit her suddenly, starting at the spot where the spell hit and quickly spreading to every cell and bone in her body. She could hear someone screaming even as she struggled not to black out. If her spell had hit him... she needed to get to his wand. If only the poker-hot pain would lessen.  
  
Suddenly, his hooded face loomed in front of her. "No... stay back..." she gasped out, clutching at her wand and trying to raise her hand to point it at him. To her horror, she couldn't summon the strength to stop him as he reached out a cold hand to run down the side of her face.  
  
"Very pretty... maybe I will leave you alive. But you'll owe me, once my master has you. You'll owe me."  
  
"Don't TOUCH me." The searing fire of the Crucio had just begun to lessen, and Jenni was able to put a decent amount of anger and revulsion into her words.  
  
The hand gripped her neck suddenly, squeezing at her throat and cutting off her air. As she gasped and grabbed at his hands, his voice cut through the panicked fog of her mind.  
  
"Say hello to Nancy for me. How about one more... STUPEFY!" He had stepped away from her to cast the spell, giving Jenni just enough time to throw up a shield with the last of her strength before it hit her.  
  
The pain was duller than last time. The shield absorbed much of the blow and kept the hex from taking full effect, although it was a very weak protection and flickered out just as the Death Eater disapparated. Drained and still incredibly weak, Jenni fought the tears of frustration that sprang to her eyes as she realized that she hadn't even found out who the stalker was. Forcing herself to stand, she stumbled towards the couch, tasting the blood from where she had hit the table earlier. Her head spun, and she lurched forward for the last few feet, gratefully sliding into a dark oblivion as she felt herself tilt and crash onto the cushions.  
  
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THANK YOUS:  
  
Anaxandra... Blue Eyes... - whatever you call yourself, it's nice to see you around. ;) No, seriously... sorry about not realizing that you had just changed names. And thanks for the compliment! We both really loved writing chapter 13! Hope this one measures up. About the Hermione issue, they're not a big part of our story, so don't worry. If you don't like what happens you can just skip those parts. ;) And, sorry not to have gotten to your story yet, but as I said up top, it's been so busy!  
  
Little Wolf - Oooh, welcome to our band of short people. :) 5'1 Nancy... that's short enough for all of us. I got particular enjoyment from that trick... although I'm not sure how Bill liked it. And fight Jenni? Hee hee. Well, I don't mind as long as you leave Charlie alone, but I'd better warn you, she won't go down easy!  
  
Fracindy - stop being a catastrophe? NEVER! :) Percy wouldn't know what to do!  
  
Zoe - you GIGGLED. Wow. :) Well, I'm sure we didn't leave you giggling on this one... although, you probably did enjoy that first bit.  
  
Carrie - here ya go! Mini Bill was quite the hit. :-p Thanks for your help with the spells!  
  
Heather - eek! Sorry we're so late! Hopefully we won't get so behind again... but it's neat to know that you're waiting on this one!  
  
Gohansfollower - ANOTHER member of the band of short people. :)  
  
Ronsspawn - that's RIGHT. How DARE they? Oh... I just can't stay mad at them... darn that Weasley charm.  
  
Karen - glad you're enjoying it!  
  
Louisa - Do I have to have a talk with Harry again? That boy. All hormones. Tsk tsk. ;)  
  
Fuzzyfeelings - HI! A new reader! Twice in one night?? I'm so honored! :) Welcome and we're both thrilled to have you!  
  
Olivia - Wow. what a nice compliment. That means a lot to us. Hope you enjoyed this one!  
  
Deadsexy - HI! Yeah.. we, uh... well, there was this treasure, in Peru, and we met.. well, first we had to deal with the... OH FINE. We just had trouble with this chapter. Sorry!! ;)  
  
  
  
Hey - do you folks realize that we're TWO reviews away from one hundred as of this posting?? HOW COOL IS THAT? You guys rock. We started this story just for kicks, but it's been so much fun to have an audience. 


	15. Chaos Control – Agents Red and Redder

A/N - HELLO, guys!! Hope everyone had Happy Holidays, and Jenni and I would like to apologize for the VERY long wait that you've all had for this chapter! We've really worked hard on it... but the season has been QUITE distracting all the same. Sorry about the delay, and enjoy!!  
  
Zoe - Vampire? Bat? *innocent look* That was ALL Jenni... honest... as for the guesses... keep em coming, they're very helpful. :-p  
  
Louisa - WAHOO! We got an "evil cliffy" review! That's like, an official milestone! :)  
  
Carrie - heeeeeere you gooooooo! Weeeeee wroooooote mooooooore! ;)  
  
Fuzzyfeelings - actually, this whole long delay was just because we wanted to make sure you could fully catch up! Really... *innocent smile* ;)  
  
Anaxandra - YAY! We got a realistic vote!! :) And who among us HASN'T had to have one of those talks... (JENNI, LILY, put your hands down...)  
  
DeadSEXY - Eeek, well, sorry to be so slow about it all. Real life Nancy needs to get her act together and then the chapters will start flowing fast and furious. ;)  
  
Lily - you DO realize that we stated NO such intentions there, right?? It's ALL your imagination, and we cannot be held responsible... (but you're right, you know... those boys ARE so bad... ;) )  
  
Joyce - nice to see you're still reading!! :)  
  
Karen - I'm glad you're enjoying it. We're making sure to keep to the rating we decided on when we started this story - PG13. Both Jenni and I wanted this story to deal with adults and adult situations... and language is sometimes part of the world we want to write about.  
  
Ronspawn - BILL to the rescue?? What about... what about... oh who are we kidding, of COURSE we want Bill to come to the rescue. *sigh* (hope he does... read on)  
  
Heather - ooooh, you liked our details! *happy grin* Always love to hear what we're doing right or wrong... And twists are one of my favorite things. :-p  
  
Melissa - YOU REVIEWED! :o) How cool. And yes, Jenni decided that the fact that she's older and cooler (hey, who's writing this... ) than Nancy meant that she should get some drama time. I say the MEN stay home and worry. But I don't know if I can convince Bill or Charlie to do that.  
  
SAngel - HI! A new reader, how exciting!! Welcome, welcome, enjoy the show. :)  
  
Jessica - That does NOT count as an email. And you know that. *glares* But what's this? *gets whacked in the face by a rose* OW. Awwwww, for ME? I mean... for US? Oh, just read. And review more than once every 15 chapters, would you?  
  
Fracindy - yes, I hope you wrote that down in your insinuations notebook - under LILY's heading. *carefully pulls our villain out of her reach* We need him for later. Hope you like all the sweetness in THIS one. I expect a review extolling our sweetness. :)  
  
KV - Another new reader!! Hi! And good question - well, in terms of Voldemort, this is mostly from Jenni and Nancy's point of view, and THEY don't know all about Harry's adventures of the recent years. And the rest of the time it's from Bill and Charlie's perspectives - they know more, but they aren't as close to it as Ron or their parents. Let me just clarify, Voldemort has not been defeated, and the time period is fifth year for Harry, Ron and Hermione... we've mentioned their ages. Glad you're enjoying!  
  
HermioneFan - well, when you get to this chapter, I just want to say THANKS for reading! And keep writing yours, I'm enjoying it!  
  
El - Yo yo yo. ;) Sorry this one took so long. Stop sending threatening emails. And I WILL read yours... really, honest, promise and all that.  
  
Imp - Beg and ye shall receive!! Another new reader - welcome, welcome to our little world!!  
  
AND without further Ado... (We considered just leaving Jenni there... but...)  
  
  
  
CHAPTER 15: Chaos Control - Agents Red and Redder  
  
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Nancy carefully shut the door to the main office behind her and tried to wipe the really big grin off her face. PROMOTED! She'd been promoted! She couldn't wait to tell Jenni...  
  
She was halfway down the hall before it occurred to her that Jenni probably had had to approve the change in her partner's status.  
  
"Why that lying SCUMBAG!"  
  
Nancy threw open the door to their shared office, fuming loudly over the way her friend had laughed at her earlier nervousness. One of the editing wizards stuck his head in, a quizzical look making his long white mustache twitch.  
  
"Miss Gwin! Congratulations, I've just heard. Is everything all right?"  
  
Swallowing her annoyance, Nancy grinned. "Peachy! I've been promoted, Norman! NOTHING could ruin my day!"  
  
The mustache twitched again, this time curling up to mirror the smile underneath it. "Wonderful! Well then, I've got to work on the Quidditch scores, but... oh, you two WILL have that interview to us by Friday, won't you? It's got to go out next week."  
  
"And she says that I lie..." Nancy caught herself muttering softly and quickly turned a beatific expression towards him. "We always make our deadlines, Norman! You know that... now I'm off! Get to go home early today and..." Hmmm, what WAS she going to do? Send a nasty owl to Jenni? Maybe she'd just better wait until tomorrow to find out why her best friend and partner hadn't bothered to tell her.  
  
"Yes, well, I'll spread the good news. Cheerio, then."  
  
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Jenni's eyes flickered open and shut immediately. Her whole body was in immense pain and the bright light wasn't helping her aching eyes any. With a moan, she tried to sit up but quickly realized that she couldn't. Every one of her muscles was contracting in pain; she was dimly aware that she was shaking. Forcing her eyes open with a huge effort, she took stock of where she was at the moment. She was on the floor near the couch and... was that blood? Where was it coming from? She'd have to check that as soon as she felt up to moving.  
  
Jenni tried to remain motionless and let her eyes drift shut. Any little movement caused her whole body to hurt. She fought to replay the images of her recent memory through her mind, needing to remember what had happened. Nancy's apartment. There had been someone there already. Long, black robes. A Death Eater...  
  
Shuddering, she slowly opened her eyes again, trying to adjust to the lighting in the room. Furniture was turned over... a large chair was smashed to smithereens in one corner of the room. Jenni heard herself screaming "Wingardium Leviosa" and groaned. A Death Eater, and she had LEVITATED a chair? She twisted slightly, trying to see the rest of the room without having to really move. The kitchen table that had caused the ache in her head was knocked over. There was broken glass all over the floor. Nancy's apartment was a mess.  
  
NANCY. I have to find Nancy, Jenni thought. Whoever that Death Eater was, he was after her and who knew when he would come back...  
  
Taking a deep breath, Jenni sat up slowly, her head throbbing and every part of her body screaming out in protest as she moved. Raising a hand to her forehead, Jenni felt a large bump and something sticky. She had obviously hit her head a lot harder than she had thought. Wiping the blood off of her hands, Jenni sluggishly ran through her options. She couldn't try to reach Nancy at the office like this - she'd probably splinch herself and be of no use to anyone.  
  
Jenni sighed as she came up with no answers. This was going to take a while, she thought. Well, at least she had a place to start. There was no way she was going to do ANYTHING without her wand.  
  
Getting painfully to her feet, she finally managed to find her wand on the floor near the door. She shuddered, some vestiges of the pain she had felt as the Death Eater had hit her with the Cruciatus Curse causing her body to clench, and she leaned back against the wall, gasping for air. After the worst had passed, Jenni pushed the thought out of her head and instead concentrated on cleaning a path to the couch, and blocking her mind from the pain that she felt. She began to shoot feeble spells at the broken glass and furniture, moving it just enough that she had space to walk.  
  
A noise at the door caused Jenni to freeze. She watched as the doorknob rattled. All of her insides turned to ice as she forced herself to remain calm. She lifted her wand and waited as the door slowly creaked open. Just as she was about to shout the first hex that came to her mind, Nancy's voice echoed in the room. "Jenni?"  
  
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By the time that Nancy apparated outside of her apartment building, she was in a much better mood. It was hard to stay mad at anyone, really, when your boss had just spent an hour telling you how wonderful your work was (usually) and that your pay raise was nearly double the salary you'd been living off of.  
  
Besides, Jenni probably had just wanted to make sure that she got the full euphoric effect of this surprise promotion, Nancy thought charitably. Maybe she should invite her over... they could have dinner or something. Look at magazines with the top 50 eligible Wizards. That sort of thing.  
  
She climbed the stairs slowly, excitement filling her. What a fun night it would be! And maybe... maybe she'd just owl Charlie and mention something about it all. You know... see if he would be in London any time soon to celebrate somehow.  
  
A smile fixed itself on her face as she bounded up the last few steps and pulled out her key. Nancy flung the door open and was headed for her desk before it registered that the lights were on. She swung around and found herself looking at...  
  
"Jenni? JENNI! What happened?" She ran over to her friend, whose wand was shaking in her hand, and eased her down onto the couch. "You... you look like you just lost a fight!" Was that BLOOD on her head? Nancy tried to swallow down panic as she surveyed the damage, and ran to get a warm washcloth to clean the wound.  
  
Watching her go Jenni gave a tiny little laugh and answered softly, "I did."  
  
"Did what?" Jenni felt her entire body tense as a man's voice echoed throughout the room. What if the death eater had come back? She hadn't even told Nancy about the attack yet... "I can't help thinking that even Nancy is not usually THIS messy..." As the voice continued, Jenni's fear suddenly drained out of her. She carefully turned her head to check, and saw that a familiar stocky redhead was standing in the doorway surveying the wreckage nervously.  
  
"Charlie!" she whispered, feeling greatly relieved. He'd watch over Nancy, at least until she could explain clearly what the problem was. She was trying to dredge up some words to reassure the look of surprised concern on his face as he stared at her speechlessly when a new voice sounded.  
  
"I don't know about Nancy, but this is NOT Jenni's idea of a surprise..." This other worried voice cut through her thoughts and made her hair stand on end and her gut unclench. Jenni was just turning her head to look at him when she heard Nancy's footsteps approaching from the bathroom. She felt her whole body go limp with relief as she saw Bill. Behind her, Nancy gave a surprised yelp. She closed her eyes letting the relief of their presence wash over her as she listened to Charlie hurry over to Nancy.  
  
"We... it was supposed to be a surprise dinner for you." His voice was soft, and Nancy reached out for his hand as she watched Bill kneel down by the couch.  
  
"Jenni?" Bill's voice was soft and laced with worry. He had taken the washcloth from Nancy and had started cleaning the blood from Jenni's face. She winced as he reached the tender area on her forehead that had been cut open and slowly opened her eyes to look at him. He was kneeling in front of her, his face full of concern. "Jenni, what happened?"  
  
Without bothering to answer, Jenni threw herself forward into Bill's arms. The fear she had been harboring finally broke free in the form of hot tears and she could do nothing but sob as she clutched Bill. His voice was gentle as he held her small, shaking body. "Shh, I've got you now, Jenni, it's ok."  
  
Charlie pulled Nancy a bit closer to him and asked, "What the hell happened?"  
  
His voice was barely above a whisper and Nancy wasn't entirely sure that she had heard him until she noticed Bill watching her expectantly. When she finally digested the question, she shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. I walked in just a minute or two before you did."  
  
Bill sighed and returned his attention to Jenni. After several minutes, he finally managed to calm her cries. She stopped shaking and sat there soaking in the safety of his arms around her and the worried whispers between Charlie and Nancy. Slowly Bill pulled away and looked into her eyes. "Jenni, tell me what happened."  
  
Before she could turn away, Bill gently lifted her face to his. "Please talk to me. Jenni, I promise, nothing will happen to you while I'm here."  
  
Jenni nodded and whispered a hushed "ok." The room became quiet and Jenni saw Nancy and Charlie turn to face her as well. Taking a deep breath, Jenni began telling them, starting with opening the door to the apartment. Nancy's face paled when Jenni reached the moment that she knew it was a Death Eater. She told them how he had known who Nancy was and that he knew Jenni's name as well. Her voice faltered as she tried to briefly describe the duel. She shuddered involuntarily as she recounted the events and stumbled over the words as she relived the moment when the white-hot pain of the 'CRUCIO' had first coursed through her bones.  
  
Bill jumped up suddenly as Jenni told how the Death Eater had grabbed at her neck and taunted her. His face had turned red and even Charlie backed away as his older brother growled his protests.  
  
"That bloody bastard! When I find the Death Eater that did this to you I'm going to kill him!" Jenni flinched at the anger in Bill's voice and watched as he paced the small room. "I swear, when I get my hands on him."  
  
Nancy sighed, his anger was entirely justifiable, but not what Jenni needed just now. She crossed over quickly to sit beside Jenni on the couch and pulled her into a hug. Shooting a single pleading glance at Charlie, she then focused all of her attention on her shaken friend.  
  
"Jenni, let's get you cleaned up," she murmured underneath the loud exclamations that were coming from Bill on the other side of the room.  
  
Jenni shot a last look at Bill. He was SO angry. She shuddered, feeling more in need of a quiet bath than she had in years. "Ok."  
  
Nancy jumped up to help her to the bathroom. As they made their way over, she heard Charlie softly interrupt the tirade.  
  
"Bill. That's enough." His dark blue eyes were almost violet as they exuded quiet sympathy and anger.  
  
"ENOUGH? I'm telling you..." Bill's face was still red, and there was a rather feverish look in his eyes.  
  
"No." Charlie's interruption was quick and forceful. "That's ENOUGH. You're scaring Jenni."  
  
Nancy was astonished to see the tall redhead crumble at his brother's soft words. Not wanting Jenni to worry anymore than she already was, she quickly maneuvered her into the bathroom and set up a simple music charm, just loud enough to keep the conversation from filtering in through the door. Jenni was silent as she slipped into the bath and handed her torn and bloodied clothes to Nancy.  
  
Failing to catch her friend's eye, and worried by her continued silence, Nancy turned as she reached the door. "Jenni?" Blue eyes met brown. "Don't stay in too long, thinking, ok? I... we..." she paused, searching for the words. "Please don't hold all of this inside."  
  
Touched and reassured, Jenni smiled slightly. "I won't be able to," she whispered. "Not with you around to talk to."  
  
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Nancy slipped out of the bathroom, shutting the door quietly and looked at the two determined faces in front of her. She looked back and forth from one to the other. "What's going on?"  
  
Charlie crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Bill as if confirming what he was about to say. "We're staying here tonight."  
  
Nancy's mouth opened and closed several times before she finally managed to speak. "You are not staying here. I still have to clean up. And Jenni needs to rest. The last thing I need... the last thing Jenni needs is the two of you causing more of a disturbance."  
  
"No, the last thing you need is a crazed Death Eater coming after the both of you again." Bill's voice was sharp with annoyance.  
  
Nancy pointed at him. "Ok, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Jenni is frightened enough. She doesn't need you going off about killing Death Eaters. We'll be fine."  
  
"Nancy... Bill's right. I don't want to think about what could happen if that guy comes back and finds the two of you here alone." Charlie's voice was hushed. "We'll clean up in here. You just make sure that Jenni's ok."  
  
Nancy stood there a moment, indecisive. She had to admit, having the two Weasleys there WOULD make her feel that much safer. But although Bill had controlled himself and was now going about cleaning and fixing the damage, she couldn't let him make this any harder than it had to be for Jenni.  
  
"Nancy..." Charlie had come up close to her as she watched Bill. His eyes were very tender, and he reached a hand out to brush her hair off of her face. "He's terrified. And trust me, he hates that feeling. I don't think even Dumbledore could make him leave tonight."  
  
He paused, not wanting to add to her worries by reminding her of the very real danger she herself was in. He was staying so that she wouldn't HAVE to worry, at least for tonight. Charlie watched her face as she struggled with the decision. "It'll be all right. The last thing he wants is to hurt Jenni." A wry smile lit his face and he tilted her head so that she was looking at him. "Personally, I think he's just coming to the realization of how much he cares about her. Bill's always been a bit slow that way."  
  
"All right." Nancy sighed, defeated. He was right, there would be no sending Bill away. She imagined it would hurt him about as much as it would her to be ordered to leave Jenni at this point, knowing how weak and vulnerable she was.  
  
Nancy left to check on Jenni as Charlie and Bill took over cleaning. "Jenni?" Nancy called out softly as she knocked on the door. Not hearing an answer, Nancy opened the door slowly. "Everything ok in here?" Jenni was standing at the sink brushing her teeth as Nancy stepped in the room.  
  
Nancy watched as Jenni pulled back her hair to rinse her mouth and stifled a horrified gasp at the bruises that were starting to appear around Jenni's neck. Resisting the urge to follow Bill's lead and go off on an angry tirade, Nancy calmly asked, "You feeling better?"  
  
Jenni nodded slowly. "Yes I am."  
  
"Good." Nancy waited as Jenni finished then gently grabbed her arm and led her to the bedroom for some much needed rest. She watched as Jenni sat on the edge of the bed before she began picking up a few things.  
  
"Nancy..." Jenni looked up at her friend, who was bustling around the room. "He wanted you. And he could have killed me. Do you have any idea how frightening that is?"  
  
Nancy stopped and turned to Jenni. The fear in her best friend's eyes startled her. She walked over to where Jenni was and sat next to her. "Jenni."  
  
Jenni held up a shaky hand to stop Nancy. "He could have killed me and I couldn't stop him. I stood there and did nothing. I could barely manage a simple levitating spell."  
  
Nancy listened as Jenni spoke. It worried her to see the one person that had always remained calm in a stressful situation looking so horribly frightened.  
  
"He said that he wanted to leave a surprise for you. He thought I was you at first and said he would leave it in person. I can only imagine what he meant." Jenni stopped momentarily to regain her composure. "He said once his master had me that I would owe him. He's going to come back."  
  
Nancy stared as the full impact of Jenni's words hit her. It wasn't just everything that had happened that was causing Jenni to act so strange. She was terrified. Terrified that whoever attacked her was coming back and she wouldn't be able to stop them. Nancy leaned forward and pulled Jenni into a hug. "Well, if he shows up tonight he'll have one hell of a surprise waiting for him."  
  
Jenni pulled back. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"Well," Nancy sighed. "Charlie and Bill have decided that they're staying. I tried to tell them that we would be all right but they weren't going for it."  
  
Jenni's shoulders sagged with relief briefly. "Nancy, I'm sorry I'm putting you through all of this. I mean, this was supposed to be a quiet night to celebrate your promotion. And now you're stuck worrying about me and two extra people in your house."  
  
"Honestly Jenni. I would let Professor Snape stay in my house if I thought it would make you feel safer."  
  
Jenni gaped at Nancy's last comment before managing a stifled laugh. Several minutes passed before either of them spoke. Jenni's eyelids felt leaden, and she was just drifting off when Nancy's voice broke through her thoughts.  
  
"Jenni?"  
  
"What is it Nancy?"  
  
"You really don't expect me to let Snape stay here. Do you?" The last two words were barely audible as Nancy spoke them in a whisper.  
  
Jenni smiled. It was the first time she had really smiled since... "Well, I don't know. You did say."  
  
Nancy stared. "Jennifer Ferguson! That's just plain WRONG."  
  
The small giggle that Jenni couldn't hold back made Nancy's heart a hundred times lighter. Once she was calmer, less afraid, surely they could figure this out.  
  
"Come on, promise that you're not going to develop a sudden need for Professor Snape," she teased. "His fiancée would object, for one..."  
  
Jenni shifted on the bed, wincing as one of her bruises protested the movement, but still smiling. "Fine, fine. Deprive me of my knight errant. I suppose we'll have to make due with Red and Redder out there."  
  
Nancy stared at her. "Red and... did you really just... Red and REDDER?" She put both hands over her mouth to keep in a shout of laughter and came over to sit carefully on the bed. "But Jenni - which one is Redder?"  
  
They looked at each other for a moment before Jenni said slowly, "Well, think about it. Who blushes brighter?"  
  
"Bill," Nancy said with a grin. "Dragon Man's too tan, it hides his better."  
  
"Well, there you have it, then." Jenni tried to keep smiling, but her worries were crowding in on her - that death eater could come back anytime, and...  
  
"Bill, Charlie and I would be ready for him." Nancy's firm answer startled Jenni; had she spoken aloud or was her face that easy to read?  
  
"But don't you see? That makes it worse! Now I know that you three are putting yourselves in harms way - if anything happens to you or... or Bill..." she faltered, amazed at the way her heart tightened painfully at the mere thought. "Isn't there something I can do? I hate that..."  
  
"That they're trying to fight this for us?" Nancy finished. "I know... I mean, do they think I can't protect you?" Her voice was soft and hurt, and even through the pain and fear, Jenni knew which direction her friend's thoughts were headed.  
  
"Nancy. I doubt they've thought of it that way at all." She reached out a shaky hand and pulled lightly on Nancy's ponytail. "No one's questioning your ability here."  
  
Nancy sighed and shot her a wry grin. "Not outright. But they're sure not asking for my help, either."  
  
In an attempt to draw her friend's attention away from her self-defeating thoughts, Jenni tried to joke, "Well, if Bill gets what he wants, it'll be a slaughter, and I for one wouldn't want you to help with that."  
  
It worked. Nancy blinked and looked up, and Jenni shifted uncomfortably under her very pensive eyes.  
  
"He didn't mean it, you know," she murmured, trying to end the silence. "He was just overreacting."  
  
Nancy shook her head. "He lost his control, but he meant it all right." She looked at her friend's white face and continued more gently. "And I probably would help him. But why does it bother you so much that he cares?"  
  
Exhaustion was setting in, and Jenni didn't have the energy to protest or pretend. "Because one of us is going to wind up hurt... and I doubt it will be him. I don't want to be left again, Nancy," she whispered brokenly.  
  
Blinking back tears at the memory of how stunned and shattered Jenni had been when her last relationship had ended so abruptly, Nancy pulled her into a hug. "Give Mr. William Weasley a little more credit, you nincompoop. I don't think he could even imagine himself acting half as asinine as..."  
  
"Of course not," Jenni interrupted. "He'd be all smooth and classy about it. At least last time I could laugh at the whole ridiculous situation."  
  
"And you know full well that I'd do something just as stupid as last time, if he tried to just leave you!" Nancy's voice rose as she remembered how hard it had been to lift Jenni's spirits then. "Trust me, I'd give you something to laugh at."  
  
Jenni grinned, remembering a last minute transfiguration of a very expensive white wedding dress into a hot pink dollar store number. It had been sneaky of Nancy, but it HAD made her laugh.  
  
"But you're looking for trouble where there is none. He's here, and he's staying, and I don't think you're going to find it easy to get rid of him." Noticing the drooping eyes and half-concealed yawns of her battered friend, Nancy unobtrusively tucked the covers in around her and kept talking, hoping to lull her to sleep.  
  
"What we have to start working on is a Charlie Weasley fix. Oh, he's wonderful when I'm there... all five days I've known him... but he's Charlie Weasley. He probably runs around saving girls every week. His mother probably keeps a list of the girls he's saved so that she can identify the Christmas cards when they come each year. And besides, a guy must get tired of saving girls all the time. It won't be long before he'll realize that I'm NOT worth the trouble." Nancy paused to take a breath and noticed that Jenni's eyes had drifted shut. She was just slipping off the bed when she heard a faint whisper.  
  
"Don't be stupid... he's mad about you."  
  
Nancy froze and stood silently in the middle of the room, her mind racing, until she heard deep, even breathing from the bed. Only then did she walk to the door.  
  
"Sleep well, Jenni."  
  
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The moment she stepped out into the living room, Bill was beside her. "How is she?"  
  
Attempting to shut the door quietly behind her, Nancy glared at him when he put his hand on it to hold it in place. "She's asleep. But only just, and she needs QUIET."  
  
Bill didn't protest her testy tone, but looked at her with very solemn eyes. "I'd like to go in and sit with her. Do you mind?" he asked gently, knowing that most of her animosity was born of fear and worry.  
  
Nancy balked, but couldn't find a reason to deny him entrance. "Just... please don't wake her up."  
  
"I promise," he answered softly, sliding through the open door and quietly closing it behind him.  
  
Worn out, she sagged back against the closed door, shutting her eyes and just breathing for a moment. When she opened them again, she was looking into two very concerned midnight blue ones.  
  
Charlie was sitting on the couch, watching her carefully. A quick survey of the room showed that they had been as good as their word - the destruction was gone, nearly everything had been repaired or at least cleaned up. She couldn't help feeling as thought something foul still hung in the air, however. Feeling his gaze one her face, Nancy looked back at the silent redhead.  
  
"Thank you," she whispered. "I don't know if I could have... I mean, with taking care of Jenni, it would have been really hard to... to put all of this back together."  
  
He stood up then, his eyes still serious and troubled. "No one would expect you to handle something like this alone, Nancy." She stiffened, waiting for him to make some offhand remark about her inability to cope with situations. He walked toward her, and reached out a hand to brush a wisp of hair off of her face. "Not that you couldn't. If anyone could hold it all together right now, it would be you."  
  
Touched beyond belief, Nancy felt herself crumbling. Why did he have to be so nice? How was she supposed to stay strong and focused when no one was telling her that she couldn't possibly do this?  
  
He must have sensed her failing strength, because he was at her side in a flash, leading her over to the couch and pulling her down onto his lap.  
  
"Now tell me," he murmured soothingly as he ran one hand up and down her back. "How is Jenni?"  
  
Giving in to the warmth of his strong shoulder, Nancy laid her head there and told him - about all the bruises, about Jenni's fears for their safety, and about her emotional scars that were haunting her in her exhausted state.  
  
Through it all he let her talk; only nodding or squeezing her hand in encouragement when she seemed to falter. When she'd talked herself out, he leaned down and kissed her forehead.  
  
"And now I want to know..." he began after a few moments of silence, "how is Nancy?"  
  
Her eyes widened and she tried to sit up, tried to pull her strength back around her. But his arms held her where she was, and he was so generous with his own strength that she found herself instead bursting into tears and confessing through the sobs, "Nancy... Nancy is furious, and... sca- scared out of her mind."  
  
As she cried, Charlie fought to keep his arms from trembling. The effort he was expending to maintain control of his emotions was exhausting, but he knew that he could not succumb to the fear and anger that had erupted inside of him as Jenni had explained that Nancy was the target for which the Death Eater had lain in wait. Not yet. He had to hold it together - for Bill, who had lost his temper for the first time in Charlie's memory, and especially for Nancy, who so desperately needed someone who didn't need her to be strong.  
  
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Bill walked in quietly, careful not to make any noise. He looked over at the bed where Jenni was sleeping and sat down next to her. Without thinking, he reached forward and gently tucked a wisp of hair behind her ear. He flinched at the sight of bruises that were beginning to appear on Jenni's face - from hitting the table? - and the purpling ones on her neck.  
  
"Jenni... I'm so sorry this happened to you," he whispered softly, lightly running his fingers across her face. He closed his eyes, seeing in his mind Jenni's face when he had first walked through the door, and the terrified expression in her eyes as she relived every moment of her attack in order to inform them. That terror had hit him hard, leaving him feeling as though he'd taken a knife straight into his heart.  
  
As he watched her sleeping, Charlie's words repeated themselves over and over in his mind. "That's ENOUGH... You're scaring Jenni." Damn it. He hadn't meant to scare her...  
  
Guilt washed over him as he remembered the look on her battered face as she had watched him lose his temper. He just hadn't been able to control himself; picturing that Death Eater, his fingers on her neck... just the thought of Jenni being hurt in such a way made him physically sick.  
  
But still... "Nancy was right. You don't need me to get angry for you... not yet," he whispered quietly as she slept. Taking a deep breath, Bill brushed the stubborn lock of hair away from Jenni's face again and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.  
  
As he sat there, he realized that he was racked by an emotion that he hadn't felt in a long time - fear. He shook his head, silently protesting his own acknowledgment. Bill Weasley didn't get scared. But tonight, he had been... hell, he still WAS terrified. On top of the sick, cold fear that had settled in his gut, a million 'what ifs' plagued him - What if he had somehow gotten here sooner? What if Nancy hadn't shown up when she did? What if that Death Eater had finished what he started? What if the first woman who had ever caught and held his attention for more than a week had disappeared from his life before he could tell her how he felt?  
  
Clenching his fists, Bill pulled himself back from that line of thought. She was here, bruised and frightened, but ok. He just had to make sure he was there for her when... IF this creep came back. 


	16. No Privacy Included

A/N - Oh dear. I really don't know what to say. How about... we tried?? We're sorry?? Severe cases of writers block and lots of late nights with no productivity took their toll... a whole two weeks! Well, we hope you guys enjoy this, and hopefully we can find our groove again! And can I just say... WOW! We filled a whole PAGE with thank yous... I can't believe how many people are READING this! -- Nancy (Jenni handled the thanks this time round.. it was totally her turn.)  
  
Zoe!!! I'll try to keep Nancy away from Snape as long as I can. No promises though! You know how she can be when she gets it in her head she wants something.(or someone!!!) :-D  
  
Louisa!! LOL, save some of that anger!! Don't worry, the evil Death Eater will get his.oops!! Don't want to give away the plot. Glad to see you still enjoy reading our story!!  
  
Ellie - Yo yo yo! (so this one Jenni didn't do) Yeah so this took a while. And I like to tease. Ha. So there. And Jenni would stick her tongue out at you too, but she doesn't really know you well enough. ;)  
  
Heather! sigh You see, that's the big problem with writing this story. Nancy and I spend many a late night wishing we had Bill and Charlie. Are there any guys out there that are really like that??? Me personally, I'm still looking! (ps from Nancy - THANKS so much for reviewing my little R/H fic. And yes, it's a country song.. a very pretty one)  
  
Carrie! Are you kidding me??? Of course I'll be alright!! I'm not going to let some crazed Death Eater keep me down! And you have Nancy to thank for the Red and Redder part of that chapter! Bloody Brilliant wasn't it??  
  
Imp! Thanks for reading.although, you may have to wait a little longer for Bill to finally admit his true feelings. And Jenni too for that matter. (Not that I'm hard headed or anything!)  
  
Ronsspawn! Yummy!! I couldn't agree with you more! Glad you enjoyed that chapter!! (I actually broke my chair one night just sitting on it while working on Ch. 16. True Story!!) So, I wouldn't worry about falling off the chair if I were you!  
  
Little Wolf! Aw exams are a bit of a bother aren't they? Hope you did well, and thanks so much for reading!  
  
Psiana! I must say, I think you have got to be my favorite person when it comes to reading all these reviews! I've been keeping that can o' whoop ass near by for future use! Thanks for the encouragement!!  
  
Gohansfollower! A new reader! Excellent! Glad you're enjoying the story! It's great to get new readers.  
  
Karen!! Bruise!!! Um.how embarrassed would you be if we told you that these reviews are public??? But, don't worry about it! We appreciate any and all helpful, constructive criticism we get from all of our fans!!  
  
Anaxandra! AW!!! Your reviews are so honest. I'm really glad you take the time to point out what some people might think are little details and want us to make the story better! Hopefully we've portrayed our characters more as individual characters instead of paralleling each other like before. Thanks for reading!  
  
LILY!!! HOW DARE YOU LAUGH AT ME!!!! I was being tortured by a Death Eater and you go and laugh at me because I levitated a chair??? Humph. But you melt into a puddle with Charlie being all sweet and caring. WHAT ABOUT BILL??????? He was sweet, and kind.. Honestly! Just joking!!  
  
Empress Genevieve! Another new reader! WOW!! We keep getting more and more! It's so good to know people are enjoying this story!  
  
Anora! Wow!! It's been a while since we've heard from you! So sorry you've been busy, but we all know how that can be! Thanks for popping in and reading!  
  
Christine. LOL!! Damsels in distress! The typical girly thing we've tried so hard to avoid! Now on the other hand.Smart, spunky, and capable.well, capable of finding trouble!! :-D  
  
Margaret. We apologize for taking so long with this chapter. And we would never abandon our faithful readers! We do know how hard it is to be patient when you're waiting for a new chapter. But thanks for the complements. This story is really fun to write.. the goop with the serious and the funny with the serious (as you put it!) Enjoy!!  
  
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It was the crick in his back that woke Charlie up. As he lay there, trying to figure out the best way to move without irritating his muscles even more, he became dimly aware of his surroundings. A dark room, unfamiliar... a couch, uncomfortable... and, was that a small woman on top of him?  
  
Glancing down, he felt a rush of tenderness despite the pain in his back and the numbness in his right leg. The poor thing had cried herself to sleep in his arms last night, he remembered sadly, and he hadn't known where to put her, so he'd camped out on the couch and tucked Nancy in right next to him.  
  
He sighed. How did she do it? How did one woman manage to be such an intoxicating blend of silliness and strength all wrapped up in the cutest brown eyes he'd ever seen? Charlie lay there, letting his mind wander over their talks and the crazy situations they seemed fated to stumble into.  
  
Nancy sighed, interrupting his thoughts, and turned over in her sleep, changing the pressure that had been cutting the circulation off from his leg all night. As the blood rushed through his veins the entire leg flamed up with a monstrous case of pins and needles; Charlie couldn't hold in a groan. Nancy stirred a bit more, shifting uncomfortably, and in the process managing to kick his aching leg in four different places. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.  
  
"Holy MERLIN," he gasped out as he forced his leg to bend and the pain increased dramatically. Gritting his teeth, he raised his knee up until his rather numb foot was flat on the couch, and sent Nancy sliding towards him. She landed sprawled out on his chest.  
  
She raised her head then, blinking sleepily. "G'mornin' Charlie..." He had to hold his breath as she attempted to sit up, obviously not yet realizing that she was on HIM and not the couch. Really, it was immensely unfair that there were two other people in the apartment and that his mother had raised him to know better than to take advantage of the helpless... because his imagination was running wild, and if she moved another inch...  
  
"What're you doing on my couch?"  
  
He blinked. That was NOT what she was supposed to say. She was supposed to smile and lean in and...  
  
Nancy poked him in the chest, just above where she was seated. "Charlie Weasley, why are you sleeping on my couch?"  
  
Charlie grabbed her finger and smiled lazily up at her. "Well, SLEEPING wasn't really the first thing on my mind all night..." His smile widened as her face turned bright pink. Then she started moving again, this time obviously trying to find a less suggestive position, and Charlie decided that he'd better take control of the situation before she wiggled him into doing something that he'd prefer not to do with Bill and Jenni in the next room.  
  
"Nancy..." he reached up and grabbed her shoulder, trying to hold her still. "Nancy, for the love of... stop MOVING!" When she didn't obey, Charlie brought the leg that WAS still functioning up to trap hers, wrapped his other arm around her waist and flipped them over, trapping her underneath him.  
  
"Um... Charlie?" Nancy had frozen, not that it did much good at this point. SHE had been trying to get out of the way and now... well... now there was quite a lot of Charlie and it was rather on TOP of her.  
  
"I did try, you know." Charlie propped himself on his elbows and looked down at her.  
  
"Tri-tried what?" Suddenly her mouth seemed to be very dry; Nancy stumbled over her rather inane question and tried to inconspicuously moisten her lips.  
  
Charlie stared. Didn't she have ANY sense of what she was doing to him? Dragging his mind back from the path that little gesture had sent it down, he tried to find his voice. She did it again, and he groaned, giving up. "I don't think even Mum could hold this against me..." he rasped, leaning in.  
  
They had kissed a few times before. They'd even found themselves kissing in some unusual situations. But Nancy was quite sure that there'd never been this much fire behind it. At least, she was sure of that until one of Charlie's hands wound itself around her back and pulled her up to him, at which point she promptly stopped thinking in any capacity whatsoever.  
  
Neither one of them could say how long it was, because both were so lost in the moment that they didn't hear the doorknob turn, or the creak of the hinges. Nancy guessed later that it was closer to mere seconds than it was to a small eternity, if only because she - thankfully - was still fully clothed. Honestly, the kiss they'd been sharing was the kind which caused your clothes to run away of their own free will... if given enough time. Which, she realized as she burrowed underneath Charlie to hide her very red face from the man standing in the doorway to the bedroom, would have been a VERY embarrassing story to tell.  
  
Silence reigned for a moment, as Charlie tensed and turned to see just WHO Nancy was hiding from, and as a rather smug Bill took in the whole situation.  
  
"Hey, Charlie..." his voice was glaringly normal, "if you... see Nancy around, could you ask her where the breakfast food is kept?"  
  
As he watched, Charlie flushed slightly and glared at him, while the quivering shape UNDER Charlie extended a hand and pointed to a far corner of the room. Grinning he started over towards the cabinet she'd indicated. When neither Nancy or Charlie said anything, Bill decided that it would be fun to see how red his brother could get.  
  
"Was I interrupting something? Because I could go back in the room with Jenni and start on breakfast later."  
  
A low and menacing growl from the direction of the couch told Bill that he had hit a nerve, but rather than let he go he continued. With a huge grin plastered on his face he continued rummaging through the cabinets. "I wonder where Nancy keeps her pots and pans?"  
  
When he didn't hear any response, Bill turned to see the same small hand move from under a now VERY red-faced Charlie and point towards another set of cabinets. One more try, he thought devilishly.  
  
"You know Charlie, if you weren't going to lock the doors or anything, you could have at least put a 'Do Not Disturb' sign out."  
  
The menacing growl from earlier was now a full-fledged roar and Bill knew he had pushed his limits. With an instinct born of years of fighting with his brother, Bill ducked just as a jet of colorful sparks came from Charlie's wand. It took only a matter of seconds before Bill turned to face Charlie, wand in hand ready to return the favor.  
  
Bill was surprised to see that Charlie had removed himself from the couch and was standing only a few feet away from in. His grin widened as he noticed his brother was still extremely red in the face. Breakfast forgotten for the moment, Bill twirled his wand and pointed it towards Charlie just as an equally red and embarrassed Nancy stepped between them.  
  
"There will be NO dueling in MY apartment."  
  
Bill raised an eyebrow at Nancy. She was glaring at him, and at the same time trying to avoid catching Charlie's eye. "No one will be casting any hexes, OR curses. This place was messy enough after last night. I will not have a repeat performance. Is that understood?"  
  
Nancy waited with her arms crossed for an answer. She was satisfied with a nod from both Bill and Charlie and waited patiently for them to put their wands away. As Bill turned back to the kitchen Nancy's voice caught his attention. "Where's Jenni?"  
  
"She's still sleeping. I thought it would be best not to wake her up."  
  
Nancy rolled her eyes. "Best not to wake her? So instead you were going to start shouting hexes? I'm sure she would have gotten a lot of rest that way."  
  
Bill slowly turned around and glared at Nancy. "He started this you know. He shot off the first hex." He pointed at Charlie who had retreated back to the couch. "Why aren't you yelling at Charlie for being loud?"  
  
Just as Nancy was about to answer, the bedroom door opened and Jenni made her way slowly to the couch.  
  
Nancy glared back at Bill. "Now look what you did. You woke her up." Not waiting for a reply, Nancy turned and sat near Jenni. "How are you feeling this morning?"  
  
Jenni grimaced, "I have a headache."  
  
"I'm not surprised, with all the yelling going on this morning." Nancy shot a glance towards Bill's back.  
  
Jenni raised an eyebrow. "What was all that yelling about?"  
  
Charlie mumbled something about finding his shoes and turned a lovely shade of crimson. Nancy turned just as red and began stuttering. "Oh. That was nothing. Just Charlie and Bill having a fight."  
  
Bill leaned against the doorframe. "Lets get this straight. I walked in to fix breakfast and there was a bit of a scuffle on the couch."  
  
Jenni noticed the grin on Bill's face and looked back and forth from Nancy to Charlie. "What sort of scuffle?"  
  
"There was no scuffle." Jenni turned her head slowly to the opposite end of the couch where Charlie was sitting and saw him catch Nancy's eye briefly.  
  
Jenni's eyes twinkled with delight. "Nance, does this have anything to do with that buddy system we were talking about?"  
  
Nancy's jaw dropped. How dare Jenni insinuate anything! It wasn't like SHE had been caught by Mrs. Weasley, unlike other people she could name. She closed her mouth and decided that ignoring Jenni was better than trying to formulate an answer that wouldn't incriminate herself. Nose in the air, she headed towards the kitchen to begin setting the table for breakfast.  
  
"So what's this buddy system Jenni was talking about?" Bill asked Nancy as she reached for the plates. He turned away grinning when all he got in reply was silence. "Just wondering." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.  
  
"It was supposed to keep us from wandering off into dangerous situations..." she whispered, reminding both of them why Jenni was sitting so carefully on the couch.  
  
Nancy stopped talking long enough to cast a worried look towards the other room, reminding herself that Jenni didn't wander off into the fight yesterday. The dangerous situation had been right in her own apartment.  
  
Bill had also turned to face the other room. There was a heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach as he watched Jenni. Every time he thought of what she had gone through last night he felt sick. He began placing the food on the table and took a deep breath. At least she had slept through the night. He on the other hand hadn't slept at all.  
  
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Breakfast had been a quiet affair. There was still a nervous tension as everyone avoided talking about the events of last night. Jenni sat chewing the last of her food slowly. There was still a dull throbbing sensation in her head and sudden movements reminded her that her body was still very sore. Nancy and Bill had worried her constantly asking if she was ok, or if she needed anything. And while she was thankful for their support, she was also ready to go back to her nice, quiet, apartment.  
  
Jenni pushed her plate away slowly. She avoided eye contact with Bill, knowing full well what his reaction would be, and spoke to Nancy. "Nancy, I think it's time that I head back to my apartment. You still have a lot of cleaning to do and I would just." Before Jenni could finish her sentence, her ears were greeted with a loud resounding NO coming from everyone seated at the table. She had expected Nancy and Bill to argue the point, but she couldn't hide her shock as Charlie had also expressed his disagreement.  
  
"I don't think either one of you needs to stay alone." Charlie spoke in an even tone. "That Death Eater may be after Nancy, but he also knows who you are Jenni."  
  
"Charlie's right. You're not safe." Bill's voice was soft as he spoke. He almost grinned as he saw that familiar flash of anger in Jenni's eyes but his concern for her safety held him in check. "You may have just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, but he knew your name. You're on their list."  
  
"And just what do you plan on doing? Are you going to stay and baby sit us for the next three weeks?" Jenni's voice rose a notch as she glared at the two Weasleys. "We have things to do. We both work you know." At the mention of work, Jenni glanced up at the clock on Nancy's wall and swallowed hard. They were both late for work.  
  
"You are not going to work Jenni." Nancy's voice was firm.  
  
"But, we have that article. And it's due Friday. I won't let you work on that by yourself." Jenni argued.  
  
Nancy rolled her eyes. "Fine. I'll go get our things and we'll work on it from here. But you need rest."  
  
"But Nancy, you can't miss work just because."  
  
"JENNI!" Nancy's sharp tone caused Jenni to stop talking. "I'll just tell them you're not feeling well. That you think you have the flu and we'll work on the article from here. It's no big deal."  
  
Jenni sat back in her chair. No use fighting a losing battle. She glanced at Bill who had gone slightly pale. Charlie apparently had noticed as well. "What's wrong with you?" he asked.  
  
"Work." Bill paused before continuing. "I have that yearly interview and it's scheduled for today."  
  
Charlie, sensing the excuses about to start flying broke in. "No way are you going to skip that interview Bill. You know how important it is for your job."  
  
"But Charlie, I can't."  
  
"Oh yes you can. I'll stay here with Nancy and Jenni. If anything comes up you'll be the first to know."  
  
Bill sighed. "All right then. I just have to stop by the house to change."  
  
At the mention of the Weasley household, both men stared at each other. "MUM!" They both exclaimed.  
  
Charlie blanched. "She's going to kill us for this one."  
  
Bill nodded. "I bet she's already called out half the ministry to search for us."  
  
Jenni and Nancy exchanged a look and hid their smiles. Two grown men afraid of their mum.  
  
"Maybe I should send an owl to let her know what happened." Charlie said. And as an afterthought added, "And that we're okay."  
  
Bill nodded. Jenni noticed he seemed slightly relieved that Charlie had offered to send the owl. "Maybe I'll just head straight to work. That way I can get back here quicker."  
  
Jenni grinned. She couldn't hold it in any longer. She noticed Nancy holding back a smile as well and knew she was thinking along the same lines. "You're scared."  
  
Bill turned to face Jenni. "What did you say?"  
  
"I said you're scared." Jenni held a straight face as her eyes dared Bill to challenge her accusations.  
  
Without hesitating, Bill responded. "Damn right I'm scared. You have no idea what she's like when she's angry. I swear, I think even some of those dragons Charlie works with would tremble at the sight of an angry Molly Weasley."  
  
Jenni and Nancy rolled with laughter. Charlie had only backed up his brother's story causing more laughter from the two girls as they recounted numerous stories of their mother's angry outbursts.  
  
After the laughter died down, Nancy took Charlie to her bedroom and pointed out her owl so that Charlie could write the apology to the matriarch of the Weasley clan. She came out of the room a few minutes later, blushing, and ignored the raised eyebrows she got from Bill and the wink from Jenni.  
  
"I'm off to work, I'll be back SOON. Don't you overexert yourself, you hear?" she shook her finger at Jenni and marched out the door. Waving at her with a smile, as soon as the door shut Jenni managed to muster up the strength to move from the table and head to the couch. Bill caught up with her before she had walked more than a few steps.  
  
"Jenni, wait." Bill wrapped his arms around Jenni. "Are you going to be okay? I should only be gone for a couple of hours." He knew she didn't like all the extra attention that last nights events had given her. He admired her strong will and the courage she had shown. But the truth was, deep down he could see just how scared she really was and the idea of leaving her for only a second was pure torture  
  
Jenni smiled. "I'll be fine. Besides. Nancy will be back in a few minutes. We have a lovely profile piece to write on everyone's favorite potions professor from Hogwarts." She held back the urge to argue that she didn't need captain dragon to baby sit her for the few minutes that Nancy would be gone. Instead she rested her head on Bill's chest and let the strength and safety of his embrace surround her.  
  
Bill sighed, not wanting to let go of Jenni. Not yet anyway. He knew this interview was important, but he also knew they would probably inform him that his stay in London was over. He had been assigned to Gringotts in London temporarily and he had a sneaking suspicion that he might not see Jenni for a very long time if he was sent back to Egypt. Pulling away slightly, Bill looked at Jenni. He ran a hand through her hair and smiled. "I'll see you in a little bit." He leaned forward and kissed her lightly on the lips before leaving.  
  
Jenni waited until Bill left before heading toward the couch. She was gingerly touching her eye as she walked. Overnight it had turned several shades of blues, purples, greens and yellows and was still extremely sore.  
  
"I hope the other guy looks worse..."  
  
She spun around, wincing at the sudden motion to see Charlie watching her carefully. Suddenly, without Nancy or Bill as a go-between, she felt rather uncomfortable in the presence of this relative stranger.  
  
"I just sent off the owl... sweet little thing Nancy has. That should save us all from the wrath of Mum." He grinned, not looking uncomfortable in the least, she noticed.  
  
"Yeah, we picked him out for her sixteenth birthday..." she smiled at the memory, ignoring the pain in her face as she did. "He was the rattiest owl I'd ever seen... but she insisted that she was in love and she took him home and within a month he was just as sleek as he is now." The strain of standing for this long was getting to her, and Jenni looked around for the nearest chair, only to find that Charlie was bringing one over from the table for her. "Thanks."  
  
"No problem. I'd have two very scary people to deal with if you fell over on my watch." His gentle words were offset by a silly grin.  
  
Jenni couldn't resist the opportunity to tease. It felt nice to be treated like an adult for a little while, and not a breakable object. "Scary, eh? So when Nancy asks me what you think of her, THAT is what I say?"  
  
Charlie had the good grace to flush. "Well... no of course not. But they have both gone off the deep end a bit, wouldn't you say? Understandable of course, although I saw those death glares you were passing around the table at lunch." Jenni smiled unrepentantly. Charlie grinned back and launched into a story about his family's owl, Errol.  
  
Jenni was valiantly fighting back giggles by the time he was done. "He fell down the CHIMNEY? Like... like a santa-owl!"  
  
"Took Dad three days to find him... we can't figure out why he's not DEAD after all of this. But no, he lives on to embarrass Ginny and Ron by falling out of the sky at school, and to take three times as long to inform the rest of us of ANYTHING..." he shook his head. "Ah, the joys of being a Weasley."  
  
"So... um..." as the laughter died down, Jenni cast about for another topic of conversation. "He has his yearly interview today, hmm? Big deal?"  
  
Charlie looked up, "Not especially, Bill's great at what he does. Although..." he trailed off. Both men had asked that they be transferred back to England after the end of the last Hogwarts school year.  
  
What had happened was not common knowledge, and even he had only a vague understanding of it all - a portkey, You-Know-Who regaining human form, some poor Hufflepuff and Harry Potter being dumped right in the middle of it. The details his mother had written to him had been hazy, and even when he'd questioned her, she would only say with certainty that times would be getting darker. Bill had been there, but he kept quiet about it too, only promising that he'd fill his brother when he could. Charlie had noticed her paying special attention to Ron and his friends, Harry and Hermione, this summer. Those kids just seemed to have the damnedest luck, but he knew it was foolish and unfair to assume it would hold forever. He wanted to be close enough to help, next time his little brother found himself in need.  
  
Jenni was watching Charlie's face. He had been smiling as he answered her, but as his voice trailed off, his eyes went distant and strain showed on his face. For a moment, she felt panic swell inside of her. What could possibly happen at this meeting that would make Charlie look so worried?  
  
"It's not... not some kind of test, is it? He'll be ok, won't he?"  
  
Charlie was yanked out of his thoughts by her question. Test... his mind touched on the Tri-Wizard tournament one last time, reminding him of one other detail before he forced it back to the conversation at hand.  
  
"No... nothing like that," he smiled reassuringly, weighing his next words carefully. Jenni visibly relaxed, waiting for him to continue.  
  
"Do you remember anything about what happened at Hogwarts last year?"  
  
She shrugged, looking confused. "I... well, we at the paper were all thoroughly embarrassed by the Skeeter's articles on it. Come to think of it, she must have gotten fired... hasn't been seen around the office since. The Tri-Wizard Tournament, right? And... didn't a boy die?"  
  
He nodded slowly. "Cedric Diggory... had a lot of promise as a Quidditch player." After a moment, he pulled himself out of his dark thoughts and back to the subject at hand. Jenni was watching him carefully, sensing the weight of what he was trying to explain, whatever it was. "Well... Harry was right in the middle of it all. And, since HE was, so were Ron and Hermione, and Ginny wasn't too far out either."  
  
"Sure, I met him while we were at your family's home..." Jenni ventured carefully, not really understanding the point he was headed for. "He's quite the normal young living legend. And he seems quite close to your family."  
  
"Exactly. He is. And... well, because of that, we older Weasleys are trying to stay closer to home. That's what Bill went to find out... whether or not they approved his transfer request."  
  
Jenni blinked, confused as to how this all tied together. The reporter in her could sense that there was much more to the story... but she just didn't have the energy to grill Charlie Weasley, especially when he was obviously humoring her by telling her ANY of this. And then her sluggish mind finally caught up with the end of his sentence. "Transfer? You mean... they might NOT approve it? But... where else would he be?"  
  
"Egypt for the last few years... before that, he'd been sent to Poland. Hated that with a passion," Charlie grinned, remembering. "He said the food was worse than even England's, and that it was too cold to be interesting."  
  
She just blinked at him. "E-Egypt? Well that's... far." Charlie sighed, and then smiled at her. "But I wouldn't worry too much. That's our job... in the Weasley blood, you know. Besides, Bill's about the most convincing chap I know. As I'm sure you're aware..."  
  
Jenni blushed almost on reflex, but her heart was sinking. Bill might be sent back to Africa? It figured... she finally got used to having him around, to letting him under her defenses, and BAM - he would be gone just like that. But this wasn't something she should bother Charlie with, she realized, making an effort to continue the conversation.  
  
"Well... what about yourself? I mean... are you headed back out to Romania?"  
  
Charlie glanced at her, but hesitated. He'd wanted to talk to Nancy about it first, since he was hoping that he'd get to see her on a more regular basis now that he was going to be living in England. Still, he supposed it couldn't hurt to tell Jenni. It would probably cheer her up a bit. Turning back to look at her, he found himself caught in the accusing brown eyes of Nancy, who was standing just inside the door, papers piled in her arms.  
  
"I..." his words dried up in his throat as he tried to figure out why she was looking at him with such obvious anger.  
  
"Jenni, I'm back! Lets get started, if you're feeling up for it. I'm sure Charlie has OTHER PLACES to be."  
  
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A/N - Yes, we're leaving it there. *evil cackle* No, seriously. We're OUT of gas, and wanted to post SOMETHING up for y'all. Now review and we'll work on not posting for another month. *innocent look* Did I just say that out loud? 


	17. A Few Closed Doors

A/N - Look at THIS! Just a bit over a week! How cool are we?? :) And if it's a bit short... well... Jenni's got a rough week ahead of her and we decided that it was better to stop and polish what we HAD than to let it linger untouched all week. Hope you all enjoy!  
  
(side note... in case you didn't know, ff.net got overhauled in the last few days... one side effect I've noticed is that the anonymous reviews aren't showing right... the names show up as xing@fanfiction.net. Blech. So, unless they fix this soon, maybe when you review you should include your name in the text of your review, if you're doing the anonymous thing)  
  
Jessica - I'm so proud. And of course you wouldn't be reading this when you're supposed to be earning that paycheck. To pay for that apartment that that roommate is welching out of... oh wait. This is not the place. ;) BUT - shhhhh. You know me awfully well.  
  
Christine - YAY! Another tough critic bites the dust. MWA HA HA. It's our evil plot. Seriously. Why doesn't anyone ever BELIEVE that?? *sigh*  
  
Goodshiplollypop - is this better? :)  
  
Ayesha97 - Hello! A new reader! :) More chapters? We're working on it... ;) and we're both rather fond of our Weasleys as well...  
  
Louisa - Hee hee. You know you'll make it in here as soon as I get the chance. And yes... *swoon* for overprotective Weasleys! *angelic look* Leave what where? Hmm? LOOK - there's Harry in a towel! *runs away*  
  
Margaret - Owe us what? An ice cream sundae? ;) Nah, we'll update anyway. Just keep reading!!  
  
Anaxandra - Uh oh. You want an "at rest" mind? Hmmm... dunno if we're there quite yet. ;) But I DO think we've worked through that writers block!!  
  
Ronsspawn - EEEK! I do believe you just said that!! *blush* (hmm, wonder which author is writing THIS thank you...)  
  
Gohansfollower - Yes, Bill has his moments, doesn't he? I think it's the long hair... pulls on the brain, you know, random spurts of evilness... OW! Jenni! Don't HIT me! And... why am I upset? Hmmm, read on, my friend... ;)  
  
El - Questions, questions. And you can't beat me up from way over there. ;)  
  
Little Wolf - Thanks for reading! As for Bill and Charlie being allowed to stay.well, I guess you'll have to read and find out!!! (although, just in case you missed it... Charlie's staying... it's in one of the previous chapters. I just can't remember which one!)  
  
Lily - Scandalous!! Yes... I told Nancy that very same thing... but you know how she can be! *Jenni grins innocently as Nancy glares at her!* OOOPS!! I didn't say that out loud... did I?  
  
Joanna - A new reader! I must say we love new readers. And I for one totally agree that revenge on those twins would be well deserved! Any suggestions? *Jenni smiles innocently*  
  
Heather - Ok... rule number 1... you can't cry if Bill and Charlie leave because I make it a rule that no one cries alone. (well, I didn't make that rule... that's just how I am. If someone cries... so do I. Pathetic isn't it?) Any way, glad you enjoyed the chapter and I for one am always keeping an eye out for a "Bill" of my own!  
  
Empress Genevieve - Guess what? We've got the next chapter!! A lot sooner than expected too, I might add!  
  
Psiana - I say it every time, but your reviews just crack me up! I love all of your encouraging comments. As far as the competition thing... um, well it's never been brought up. But who knows. We're always looking for plot twists! Keep reading to find out what happens next!  
  
Zoe - I'll IM you chapters anytime you want! And I hate to ruin it for you... but there's more mention of Snape in this chapter. Hope you can handle all of that! I guess we should try to incorporate more mention of Percy as well, and then you would be totally puddled!!  
  
OK, guys... ENJOY!!  
  
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There was a moment of silence as Jenni's eyes darted from Nancy to Charlie and back again, and Charlie's face reddened defensively under Nancy's glare.  
  
Jenni decided that she'd better clear up any misunderstanding quickly, before her friend's slow-burning but volatile temper got the best of her. "Nancy... I really think-"  
  
"That we should get started? I quite agree. If you'll excuse us, Mr. Weasley, we have work to do." Sweeping by the still silent Charlie in her best imitation of Snape in one of his more dour moods, Nancy didn't even pause when one of her notebooks fell to the floor at his feet. She was honestly afraid that she might start crying, and she'd be damned if he was going to see how hurt she was.  
  
Charlie instinctively reached out and caught the falling book, but Nancy either didn't notice or did a good job of pretending that she hadn't. He watched her make her way into the bedroom and dump all the papers on the bed as Jenni tried to figure out where the best place to hide was - she didn't feel like jumping into the middle of what looked to be a major blowup. Nancy stood with her back to the both of them for a moment, trying to control her emotions and keep the tears from showing in her eyes. Charlie still hadn't said a thing.  
  
When she turned around, Charlie was struck with the full force of her anger before she shifted her gaze to Jenni. He honestly couldn't believe that she was this upset over the thought of him leaving for Romania... but what had he done otherwise? He felt trapped, stuck in slow motion as she marched out to the couch and reached for Jenni's hand.  
  
"Coming?"  
  
Jenni sighed and closed her eyes for a moment. She recognized that look on Nancy's face. It was the look she wore when she was dying inside and way too proud to show it. Nothing good would come of forcing her to talk to Charlie now. She'd probably just push away and really confuse the heck out of him.  
  
"Yes, I'm coming."  
  
Nancy nodded then, hiding her relief carefully. She'd been worried that Jenni would refuse to come, and she really didn't want to be alone right now. That would give her way too much time to analyze why she was reacting so violently to hearing Charlie nonchalantly mention his impending transfer.  
  
"You... you dropped this..." Nancy was helping Jenni get up when Charlie tentatively held out the notebook. Forcing herself to meet his eyes, she fumed at the confusion she saw there. As if he didn't know what was wrong with her, she thought derisively, firmly ignoring the little part inside that automatically melted at the gentle gesture.  
  
Breaking eye contact, she snatched the pad out of his hand and dragged Jenni into the bedroom. It wasn't until the door was firmly shut and locked that she allowed her shoulders to slump even a little bit.  
  
"NANCY GWIN! What on earth is your PROBLEM? I hope you have a very good reason for going off like this, because I certainly don't understand..."  
  
"Stop, Jenni." Nancy looked over at her best friend, sitting on the bed now, instinctively sorting through the files and notes she'd dumped there. Jenni almost gasped out loud at the intensity of the emotions she saw in her friend's brown eyes. "I have a perfectly good reason. And I want to get to work."  
  
And she did have good reason - Charlie Weasley was way out of line if he thought he could waltz into her life, weasel his way under her skin and then run for Romania whenever he wanted to. And she certainly would let him know that, if she ever spoke to him again.  
  
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Charlie watched the door swing shut with a firm click, the same stricken expression on his face. What the devil had he DONE? He stood up, starting towards the just closed door, when the memory of her blazingly angry eyes stopped him in his tracks. There wasn't much he could do at the moment, if memory of his mother and past female entanglements had any value. And Nancy certainly didn't strike him as the type to be very reasonable while she was in the throes of temper.  
  
Sighing, he stalked back over to the table, grabbing the latest copy of the Daily Prophet as he sat down. He flipped through, looking for the quidditch articles, when a small headline caught his attention.  
  
"Former Head Girl Missing"  
  
He scanned the article quickly. The woman had been a few years under Bill, maybe a year or two above himself. A Hufflepuff, if he remembered correctly. She'd been working as a liaison between the Ministry and the Muggle community, the article said, and was noticed missing when she didn't attend the funeral of a close relative two weeks ago.  
  
"We entreat Miss Overfield to contact her family if she sees this article and put our minds at rest."  
  
Charlie laid the paper down on the table and stared at the wall without really seeing it. The events of the last few days had really driven home to him just how strong his parents had been, to not run and hide or crumble and beg for protection from You-Know-Who in his prime. What was it his father had said one time? It had been back when he was still in school... "It started out by people going missing - sudden vacations, no word left - just gone. We usually found their bodies within the month."  
  
Resting his head on his hands, Charlie massaged his temples, trying to tamp down the unrealistic worries that sprang to mind. What if being associated with the Weasleys was endangering Nancy and Jenni? What if there was some sort of plot against those top Hogwarts students? Would they kill them or just...  
  
"STOP it, Charlie!"  
  
His frustrated exclamation rang out in the silence, and for a moment he listened, worried that they might have heard it in the other room. When no one came bursting through the door, demanding to know why he was yelling at himself, he relaxed slightly.  
  
Really, he was overreacting. It had only been a month or two since Harry Potter had won the Tri-Wizard tournament and all hell had quietly broken loose. There hadn't been enough TIME to hatch some devilish plot. No, he was linking things together just based on a really bad feeling.  
  
Resolutely trying to banish his panicked thoughts from his mind, Charlie picked up the paper again, and this time opened it to the sports page. He couldn't focus on the league statistics, however, and soon enough, he was back to staring at the wall.  
  
Even if there was no big conspiracy stemming from You-Know-Who, Nancy was in definite danger. His mind flashed back to that night at the party - she had been so sick anyway, but most of the fear in her eyes had been caused by whoever was in the woods with her. And then... Charlie raised his head and looked around the room he was seated in, remembering the terror that had seized him when he'd walked in and seen the destruction, and no one but Jenni sitting on the couch. He'd almost collapsed with relief when Nancy had come out of the bathroom all in one piece.  
  
Giving up on the paper, he rose and started slowly pacing the room, counting out his steps.  
  
One, two, three, four...  
  
She can take care of herself.  
  
Five, six, seven, eight...  
  
Two serious attacks in two weeks?  
  
Nine, ten, eleven, twelve...  
  
She made it to the Daily Prophet and back just fine.  
  
Thirteen, fourteen, fifteen... "Ow."  
  
Charlie looked down at the couch he'd run into and slumped into it. "Dammit, how do you protect someone who doesn't admit the danger?" And there was danger, of this he was sure. Something was wrong, and somehow Nancy had been involved.  
  
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Bill walked towards Nancy's apartment with the conversation from his interview replaying in his mind. There was no immediate decision on whether or not he would be allowed to stay on in England or be sent back to Egypt, but he had decided to tell Jenni everything. It certainly wouldn't help him gain her trust and confidence if he waited until the last minute to tell her. especially if the decision was to send him away.  
  
Taking a deep breath, he turned the doorknob and walked into the apartment. He glanced around. There was no sign of Nancy or Jenni, and Charlie was sitting on the couch with a very worried expression. Bill's first thought was that something had gone wrong and he immediately felt the panic starting to surface.  
  
"Charlie. Where's Jenni?" Bill was fighting hard to keep the worry out of his voice.  
  
Charlie looked up, finally acknowledging Bill's presence. "They're in the back working on some article for The Daily Prophet."  
  
With a sigh of relief, Bill headed to the bedroom door that Charlie had nodded towards. He needed to talk to Jenni NOW. He would worry about his brother's odd behavior later. He reached the room and entered without knocking, effortlessly disarming a rather weak locking spell. He was greeted by two different reactions, a menacing look from Nancy and a grin from Jenni.  
  
"I'm sorry. Am I interrupting something?" He noticed papers strewn across the bed haphazardly, several crumpled pieces of parchment tossed on the floor, and several pages with carefully written notes, and Jenni and Nancy sitting in the middle of everything.  
  
"No." "Yes."  
  
Nancy glared at Bill. "We're working in here, if you don't mind."  
  
Jenni rolled her eyes. "We've been at it for two hours. I need a break."  
  
Nancy's glare softened as she turned to Jenni. "Fine, you can take a break." Her voice was rough with the anger she still harbored.  
  
Jenni stood up and headed towards Bill anxious for a chance to leave the tension filled room, but feeling guilty at abandoning Nancy. It didn't help any that Nancy had refused to talk to her or even tell her what was wrong, and she couldn't help but feel that if she stayed she might eventually get Nancy to talk things out with her. Still, maybe the time alone would give her a chance to cool off.  
  
"Actually," Bill began rather quietly, "I was hoping I could talk with Jenni... alone."  
  
Jenni turned slowly. She waited for the outburst from Nancy but all the small firebrand did was shove her work into a rough pile at the end of the bed and stand up, glowering. Jenni couldn't believe her eyes when Nancy headed towards the door with obvious dislike for being kicked out of her own room. Nancy wasn't very good at taking orders in ANY mood... never mind while in the depths of anger.  
  
Bill managed to maneuver his way behind Jenni as Nancy walked by. The look the younger woman shot him made it clear that she was not happy, but she restrained herself to muttering mutinously.  
  
"Other rooms..bloody bathroom has a door.MY apartment, MY room." Nancy's hand reached for the doorknob and she stopped. She turned to face Bill once again, her face full of anger.  
  
"You didn't knock! And I put a really difficult locking spell on this door. HOW DID YOU BREAK INTO MY ROOM?"  
  
Bill grinned broadly, obviously very pleased with himself. "I'm a curse breaker. It's my job."  
  
Instead of smiling back, Nancy went off in another muttering frenzy about irresponsibility and lack of privacy before slamming the door on her way out.  
  
Jenni stood where she was for several minutes, staring worriedly at the door that Nancy had left through. It was only when she felt Bill reach for hand and lead her to the bed that she realized he had been speaking to her. She sat down, noticing that the parchments containing the interview with Professor Snape had been neatly put aside, and the bed totally cleared away.  
  
Bill sat next to Jenni, still holding her hands as he waited for her response. He had just carefully told her about the possibility of him being transferred back to Egypt. He had been expecting some sort of... reaction... but had received none. There was a distant look in her eyes and he wondered if perhaps she was angry at him for not telling her sooner. He shifted nervously. "Jenni?"  
  
Jenni lifted her eyes and studied Bill's face. He was obviously waiting for her to answer him and she had no clue as to what he had just told her. "I'm sorry Bill, I was worried about Nancy and I wasn't paying attention to what you said."  
  
Bill held in his sigh of relief. Well, he thought, she's not angry. Yet. Taking a deep breath he let go of Jenni's hands, walked towards the door and muttered a sound proofing charm just in case things got a bit loud. Jenni eyed him curiously but said nothing, so he began again. "I was trying... I wanted to tell you about the interview I had today. The job I'm on is ending soon and I was hoping that there would be a chance that I would be staying on with Gringotts here in London."  
  
Jenni felt her stomach tighten. That heavy feeling she had been fighting since Charlie explained to her about Bill's interview was returning, only this time it was worse. He was going to tell her that he was being sent back to Egypt. "Oh." Jenni's voice had grown quiet. "I heard about your interview..." Forcing a smile she looked up. "What did they tell you?"  
  
"Well, they told me... wait a minute! How did you hear about this?" Bill had a puzzled look on his face.  
  
Jenni launched into an explanation of the conversation she had with Charlie while waiting for Nancy to return with the notes they needed for the profile piece they were writing. As she talked, Bill watched Jenni's face trying to read her expression. Usually her eyes held so much emotion that he could tell what she was feeling at just a glance. Now, however, they were void of any emotions. "So," she finally said. "Are you going to tell me what the final decision was or not?"  
  
Bill watched as Jenni pushed a piece of hair from her face. "Are you mad at me?" He asked quietly.  
  
"Mad at you? Why on earth do you think I'm mad at you?" His question had caught her completely off guard.  
  
"I just thought that maybe because I didn't tell you about this sooner that you might be upset with me."  
  
"Bill, this is your job. Why would it matter what I think?" Jenni's heart was pounding. Why in Merlin's name would he care what she thought if he was going back to Egypt? It was bad enough that she had started to let her defenses go when he was around, but damned if she would let herself get thrown into an emotional debate on whether or not he cared about her.  
  
"It matters, because if I leave I don't want to leave knowing that you're mad at me." Bill stayed fixed, resisting the urge to push back the stubborn lock that had fallen in Jenni's face once again.  
  
"If you leave? You mean you don't know for sure?" She felt her stomach flutter and inwardly cursed herself about getting her hopes up only to have them trampled down as was always the case.  
  
Bill shook his head. "I'll find out within the next week."  
  
Jenni felt her insides lurch. A week. That wasn't much time. And even though there was a possibility he wouldn't be sent back to Egypt, there were other places he could be sent to. She turned away and stood up. Ignoring the aching muscles in her body and the dull throbbing in her head, Jenni walked slowly away from Bill not wanting him to see the tears that had started to burn the back of her eyes. Here she was, doing the one thing she had promised herself she would never do again, letting her emotions get the best of her. She was allowing herself to be worked up over a man. She had been hurt once, and that had been one time to many.  
  
"You never did answer my question." Bill's soft voice broke into Jenni's thoughts. She jumped as she realized he had made his way from the bed and was standing directly behind her.  
  
Jenni struggled to regain her composure before turning around. "What question?"  
  
"Are you mad at me?"  
  
"No, I'm not mad. It's just," Jenni gave a frustrated sigh. "Egypt is so far away, and even if they send you some where's else, it's not like if you would be working here in London. I'll never see you and a week isn't that long. And I would miss not having you around." Jenni put a hand to her mouth as she realized she had just voiced her worries out loud. Now Bill would know exactly what kind of an idiot she was.  
  
This time Bill reached forward and gently pushed the hair from Jenni's face and allowed his thumb to wipe away the single tear that had found its way down her cheek. "You would miss me?"  
  
"Well, I mean... maybe a little." Jenni stumbled over the words she wanted to say as Bill leaned forward to kiss the top of her forehead.  
  
"Only a little?" His voice had dropped to little more than a whisper as he leaned further in and lightly brushed his lips against Jenni's.  
  
"Maybe a bit more than just a little." Jenni was sure her weak knees had nothing to do with the events from yesterday as she felt Bill's arms wrap around her waist.  
  
"I think you would miss me a whole lot more."  
  
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Nancy slammed the door behind her with a satisfying BANG, not even glancing at the shadowed figure slumped on her couch as she stomped to the bathroom. Charlie watched her go, waiting for Jenni to open the door and yell after her or Bill to come out and apologize, but it seemed that those two had things of their own to discuss.  
  
"Now or never," he muttered nervously as he raised himself up off of the couch and padded over to the bathroom door. As he stood there waiting, he heard a muffled scream, and the sound of something shattering against the wall.  
  
Worry giving him courage, he knocked softly. "Nancy? Are you ok?"  
  
Nancy stared down at the soap dish she'd hurled against the wall. What was her problem? She wasn't usually this touchy about things... Ignoring Charlie's question, she paced back and forth, avoiding the shards of pottery all over the floor by blasting them silently out of her way with her wand.  
  
Really, it was all his fault. Before Charlie Weasley had swooped into her life and flown her to safety, she'd always felt able to handle whatever was thrown her way. Now she was constantly fighting the urge to run to him with her problems and her stupid fears...  
  
"Nancy! If you don't respond to me in the next two seconds, I'm coming in there... we need to talk." Charlie was pacing back and forth in front of the door now; her prolonged silence had given his fears time to rise to the surface, and his head was swimming with visions of her lying on the bathroom floor, a dark figure standing over her, unconscious or even...  
  
"WHAT?!?" The door swung open, and a rigidly angry Nancy stood in the doorway glowering at him. Rigidly angry, but apparently unhurt, he thought with relief, forgetting to answer her question.  
  
"I'm sorry... am I not being FULLY HONEST with you? Is that what we need to talk about?" Nancy's voice was hard and cutting as she stalked over to the kitchen.  
  
"Or... I know... I never sent you a thank you card for preventing my thorough SQUASHING by your dragon?" The sarcasm in her voice paralyzed him. He couldn't respond without making it worse, and yet his lack of response was obviously not helping.  
  
"WAIT - It must be that the Charlie Weasley groupies are in town, and you wanted to invite me along to the party? Well, I apologize... I have a LIFE to deal with right now!"  
  
"What the hell?" Charlie stared at her, trying to figure out this hellion side that was showing its teeth. "Is this all about Romania? Because..."  
  
"NO, dammit, I don't CARE whether or not you're going back to bloody Romania!" Hearing him say the words had put a panic down in her gut, and Nancy rushed to cut him off. Again, he was jerking her around, messing with her emotions. She might care more than even she realized, but she'd be DAMNED if he would know that!  
  
"Well then why are you screaming at me across the bloody kitchen?" Charlie's voice was rising slightly, egged on by the sharp stab of pain he'd felt at her instant denial.  
  
"Why do you CARE? Is this some Weasley code of slumming?! Distract the roommate while your brother moves in for the finish?" Nancy could feel her temper slipping out of her control, and wasn't even sure what the words coming out of her mouth were.  
  
Charlie heard them loud and clear, however. He felt like he'd been slapped across the face. "DAMN it, Nancy, what is your problem? I've been sitting out here worrying myself SICK over you... and you have the nerve to accuse me, and BILL, of USING you?"  
  
"Oh save the dramatics! What, were you WORRIED that I didn't know how to get to work and back? Bloody hell, how often do I have to prove that I'm an ADULT?"  
  
"Do you have NO ability to trust whatsoever?" Charlie was furious. Furious with himself for losing control, furious with Nancy for being so irrational, furious with the world for getting in the way of this thing that had been progressing so nicely. "Just because you CAN get to work and back alone, doesn't mean that you SHOULD! Or did you miss the fact that YOU'RE BEING HUNTED by a psychopathic maniac's followers?"  
  
"Oh, and I suppose YOU'RE better equipped to handle them?" Nancy spat the words out, ready to defend her position to the last. "Just being a man doesn't make you an automatic HERO!"  
  
They were standing almost toe to toe, still shouting, both of them wound so tightly that the slightest move might cause them to explode. Neither one broke eye contact as Charlie slowly growled out, "I have only EVER tried to help..."  
  
Suddenly unable to take anymore, Nancy spun around, bracing her hands on the counter and turning her back to him. Her voice was low and harsh. "Well I don't need your help. Feel free to leave any time you're able."  
  
There was a long silence, as she waited for him to answer her. Charlie stood frozen, hot anger and searing pain vying for attention as his blood pounded through his veins. It was the Weasley pride that got the upper hand after a moment or two, saving him from breaking down on the spot. If she didn't want him, he would damn well go lick his wounds elsewhere.  
  
"Tell Bill I've gone home," was all he could manage to say without his voice cracking. When Nancy gave no indication that she'd heard him, he turned away and walked swiftly to the door, never looking back. If he had, he would have seen the first tears rolling down her face. 


	18. Look Who's NOT Talking

A/N - Hi. *embarrassed look* It's all Jenni's fault. Seriously. If I had had MY way... this chapter would have... Awww, who am I kidding. Basically, as I explained in the NOT real chapter 18, we've been insanely busy. Working girls, we are. BUT, we decided that you'd probably be MUCH happier to get a short-ish chapter than to wait another week for us to finish it. SO, here you go. And now, over to Jenni for the THANK YOUS!! :)  
  
Ok, well, hmmmm. Jenni is shaking her head at me. It appears that you get me for the thank yous TOO. Lucky you. :)  
  
Zoe - HEY. Watch who you're calling Stupid!! *grins sheepishly* I may BE stupid but you don't have to CALL me that. And there will be no things purple. NONE. So there.  
  
Ellie - forgot ALL about this one, didn't you? :P Yes, well, you know me and my fantabulous work ethic. And we were wondering WHICH redheads you were talking about... scarily enough, the two that popped into our heads were Fred and George, and the whipped cream was NOT doing what you intended it too. ;) I know you're going to read into that, and I can't do a thing about it.  
  
Carrie - WITHOUT the corniness???? AWWWWWW! Thank you. That means LOTS. Enjoy this part. :D  
  
Margaret - Ok, so we OBVIOUSLY didn't earn our sundaes. But, can we try again?? THIS time if we post soon, you give us cyber sundaes? :)  
  
Melissa - *waves* Hi! Devastating? That's a great word... rolls right off the tongue. Hehehe. Well, read on.  
  
Heather - Wow... hmm. Well, we ARE sorry it took so long. We'd never abandon this without telling you guys... but on that note, some months we're just going to have trouble. That's the pain part of growing up, so much less time. So, while I appreciate your encouragement, complaints don't work nearly as well as silliness. ;) When people make me laugh it puts me in the writing mood.  
  
Littlewolf - OH dear. Now I feel bad. We've left you with your hands clapped to your mouth for over a MONTH. *blush* Here... let me fix that, you just go ahead and read this one. ;)  
  
Louisa -- *HUGS* Haven't seen you in a looong time! Miss you! And LOL - women in control! :D You could say that...  
  
Ronspawn - EEEEEK! NO NO! Nancy WANTS him, she just... *realizes that she was so worried about the Charlie hugging that she almost TOLD* Erf. Well, read on. ;)  
  
Christine - I liked the way you said that - "they're too good for this fight." Thank you for that. :) I hope you enjoy this one.  
  
Suzanne - thanks for the multiple reviews. It's sweet of you to remind us that you're waiting! :) Hope you enjoy this...  
  
Lily - ok, so, this time... I'm expecting something like "YOU GUYS, I can't BELIEVE it took you a month and a half to write that..." LOL. Oh, go read already.  
  
Gohansfollower - YAY for muddled! Muddled makes the story go! I think. Or it just makes Nancy and Charlie really unhappy... hmmmm.  
  
Psiana -- *gasp* They WOULDN'T... not on MY bed?? OH dear, Nancy and Jenni are going to have to have a talk. *jenni glares over at us* hmmm... I could be wrong, but I don't think that the JB team is quite THAT... well... yeah. Not yet. ;) And LOL - pre-pubescent voice cracking! Ooh, Charlie, I didn't mean to laugh, it's just funny phrasing... oh NOW look what you've done.  
  
Karen - it's ok! Real life messed with us on this one. And well... it's not that I'm the only one who CAN... it's more like, I'm the only one MOTIVATED ENOUGH to... hmm, why is Jenni glaring at me?  
  
Ayesha97 - HI! I'm sorry, again. I'm glad it's ours you're addicted to, though!! :D Hope you enjoy!  
  
Bella Black, Jessa - ALOHA! *NEW READER ALERT siren goes off* eeeeek! TURN THAT THING OFF! *high pitched whistling sound continues* Darn it. OH well... we have to enchant that to sing a welcome song or something. :) Did you get chapter five working, Jessa?  
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Jenni set her notes down on the table and stared across the room at Nancy, who was buried in "Hogwarts, A History" doing some sideline research on the past Potions professors at Hogwarts. It had been three days since she and Bill had opened that door and found Nancy curled up on the floor by the stove, crying - and Nancy still had told her NOTHING about the fight. Jenni was sure it had been a doozy, judging by the emotional state of the participants and the shattered soap dish in the bathroom.  
  
She hadn't seen Charlie since she'd gone into that bedroom with Nancy to work on the article. He'd been long gone when she and Bill had emerged, and Bill told her that he was sulking around the Burrow silently, adamant about not "crawling back." His version of events, if Bill was to be believed, began with a bitter laugh, contained a few expletives and ended with a, "So she's not talking about it, eh?"  
  
Nancy shifted uncomfortably, stubbornly ignoring the intense stare. She had been reading and rereading the same page for the last half an hour. She was sure it had something to do with Potions... maybe nothing that she needed for the article, but as long as she could pretend to be busy, Jenni was leaving her alone. Although, she just kept staring worriedly, darn her. Sighing, Nancy made a big show of turning the page.  
  
The illustration on the next page showed a bubbling flask slowly turning from bright red... almost the color of Ch- no, BILL'S hair, Nancy noticed. As she watched, the red faded to a light purple and then kept on darkening. Interested, she guessed that it would wind up being black, one of the more common darkening potions, perhaps.  
  
But no, it stopped just as it reached the achingly beautiful deep dark blue of his eyes.  
  
With a frustrated groan, Nancy slammed the book shut and tossed it to the couch. She had gone over and over the fight in her head, hoping to find justification, or just trying to understand why she had pushed and pushed him away... and why he had let her. None of it made any sense, and she was stubbornly resisting the little corner of her heart that urged her to just go and apologize. Honestly, it wasn't as though... well, neither one of them had really left that option open, had they?  
  
Her mood souring even further, Nancy shoved the memory of those midnight eyes looking at her with such anger aside and turned to pick her book back up. She found it sitting on Jenni's lap. Jenni seemed to be sitting on the couch, glaring at her.  
  
"You didn't tell me you wanted to come over here, I would've helped you," Nancy said, glaring right back. "You're HURT, you have to stop acting like..."  
  
"Like WHAT? Like it's been a few days? Like I'm a witch who knows her basic healing?" Jenni took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "I'm FINE now. While YOU are obviously not..."  
  
Nancy glowered and reached for "Hogwarts, a History." Jenni held it out of her reach. "You tell me what you were just researching, and I'll give it back."  
  
"What is this, second year?" Jenni didn't look amused. "Fine... I was, it was a page on... er... darkening potions," Nancy stated with as much authority as she could muster while trying NOT to think of that deep blue. Damn Blue Eyes didn't know when to leave well enough alone, anyway.  
  
Jenni glanced down at the page that she'd marked with a finger. The potion was still pictured, and it was true that the color darkened, but any decent potions student would know right away that she was looking at the first stage of a veritaserum potion. Of course, Nancy had never been a spectacular potions student.  
  
"As I thought, you're utterly full of it." Rolling her eyes as Nancy glowered, Jenni laid the book down on the floor and sat up straight. "Now, since you don't get that back... TALK to me!"  
  
There was a moment of silence as Nancy stared at the piece of sofa thread that she was slowly unraveling to relieve tension. Struck with inspiration, she looked up, meeting Jenni's gaze squarely.  
  
"Ok, FINE. You want me to talk? How's this. what is Severus Snape's middle name?"  
  
"That's not what I meant, and you-"  
  
"WRONG. He doesn't HAVE a middle name. Just Severus and Snape. We try again."  
  
"Nancy..."  
  
"Where did Professor Snape meet his soon-to-be wife?"  
  
"I don't remember, it's in that pile of notes over there. But seriously, I'm worried about..."  
  
"The deadline? Good, good... I'd started to think that you were really going to let me do all the legwork here. I mean, ACCIO NOTES." Nancy reached out a hand and caught the neat pile that flew to her from the table. "We can't exactly profile their marriage without telling how they MET."  
  
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A few hours later, Jenni sat staring at her blank piece of parchment. Nancy had stonewalled her attempts at friend to friend communication, and insisted that they work non-stop on their article so that it would be finished early. Unfortunately, Jenni was tired and not having any more luck at writing than she was at getting her best friend to talk. Shaking her head, Jenni stood up to get something to drink.  
  
"Where are you going?" Nancy looked up and broke the silence as Jenni headed towards the kitchen.  
  
"I just want some juice." Jenni had to fight back annoyance. Both Nancy and Bill had been insufferably helpful, not letting her out of their sight for the last few days, and she was really missing the peace and quiet of her own apartment.  
  
Nancy jumped up from where she was sitting. "I'll get it for you. If you're not up for writing, you really should be resting."  
  
"I've been resting for THREE DAYS, Nancy, and just working one afternoon. I think I can get my own juice. At least if Charlie were here, he'd make a joke about it." Jenni stopped abruptly. The look on Nancy's face made it perfectly clear that she had said the wrong thing.  
  
Slamming the glass that she had just grabbed from the cabinet onto the counter, Nancy grit her teeth. "Well I'm sorry I'm not as funny as CHARLIE!" There was a short pause and Nancy spun, leaving the glass where it was and heading to her room. "Maybe you should get your own juice."  
  
Jenni sighed, she hadn't meant for the comment to sound as an insult. "Nancy wait." She reached for Nancy as she passed. "Look, I'm sorry."  
  
"Apology accepted." Nancy shrugged off Jenni's hand. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go work on my sense of humor."  
  
Jenni sank back down onto the couch as the door slammed.  
  
Twenty minutes later, Jenni had given up on trying to talk to Nancy. It was obvious that she wasn't coming out of the room any time soon. "May as well go get that juice now," Jenni said out loud to no one in particular.  
  
Taking her glass back to the couch she stopped and looked around. Small reminders of the attack suddenly caught her eye. There were quite a few scratches across the floor, and a few small chunks taken out of the wall from pieces of furniture. Jenni shuddered as flashbacks from that day played through her mind. Determined to push those memories out of her head completely, Jenni settled on something other than her carefully written notes to occupy her time.  
  
An hour later, Nancy still had not emerged from the bedroom and Jenni was starting on the kitchen after managing to clear away the clutter from every other room except the one that Nancy was barricaded inside. The small bathroom had been the worst - bits of broken soap dish had found their way into every crack and corner.  
  
While she was scrubbing the last of the dishes from breakfast, Jenni's stomach gave a loud rumble. Remembering the spaghetti she had begun to make the other day, Jenni figured that the ingredients were all still somewhere in the apartment. She gave one guilty look to the article left unfinished on the couch, but her stomach protested with another loud growl. "Well, that does it. My stomach and I agree that food comes first."  
  
It felt good to do something as basic and normal as making spaghetti, and Jenni found herself humming and hoping that Nancy would accept dinner as an apology for earlier. Not that cooking was EASY. She kept almost burning the food because every time that Jenni tried to find things like salt or the strainer in Nancy's kitchen it was in the wrong place. Reminding herself to NEVER let a Weasley help neaten HER apartment after a disaster, Jenni noticed that the sauce was bubbling and reached to stir it.  
  
"ACK! No spoon... ok ok, I can find this..."  
  
Five minutes later, the heat turned ALL the way down, Jenni felt trapped in a really bad muggle game show as she scoured the kitchen for a spoon big enough.  
  
"Ladies and gentlemen, what do we have in drawer number one?" Jenni's voice echoed in the small kitchen. "AH, yes. A lovely set of kitchen knives, all mix matched to compliment any kitchen décor. And in drawer number two we have dish towels. A charming set given to Nancy by her good friend Jenni. And finally, in drawer number three."  
  
Jenni pulled the drawer open and found several crumbled pieces of parchment that had been hastily shoved in. Her curiosity getting the better of her she slowly straightened out the papers.  
  
As she studied them, she noticed that one contained a list of ingredients. The second was a list of names. Some were scratched out, others circled, a few with notes scribbled in Nancy's handwriting. Jenni stared at the parchment with the names. Nothing looked familiar.  
  
Flipping back to the list of ingredients Jenni went numb. This was a list of ingredients for the obsolete potion that Nancy had been trying to make only weeks ago. A cold fear settled in her stomach as she decided to research the names on the parchment. She was beginning to form a theory and she hoped it was wrong.  
  
Jenni searched the living room until she found a copy of The Ministry Book of Wizarding Companies. Several places on the parchment she found listed as being in Diagon Alley, but there were some that Jenni had never heard of before. She slowly skimmed the pages looking for the names that Nancy had written down. She felt her heart skip a beat as her eyes stopped on one listed in Knockturn Alley.  
  
What the hell was Nancy doing with an address to an Apothecary on Knockturn Alley? Had she really been that desperate to find a way to obtain ingredients for an illegal potion? Jenni sighed heavily. Knowing Nancy, she was more desperate to prove that she was able to handle the situation. Unfortunately her way of handling things tended to land her in loads of trouble, and Knockturn Alley was nothing but trouble.  
  
If Nancy had sent an owl, or any post... Jenni shuddered. Knockturn Alley was full of Death Eaters and Dark Magic, that much she knew from her many years of constant reading. Before befriending Nancy, Jenni spent all of her free time in the Hogwarts Library and one of the books she read was "The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts." That one book had more information than she had wanted to learn. But if Nancy had sent an owl, the owner had to have a return address, and could very well have been the... person who had been lying in wait just a few days ago. Forgetting all about the spaghetti cooking on the stove, Jenni raced out of the apartment. What had Nancy gotten herself into?  
  
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Charlie stood in front of the door to Nancy's flat, glaring so hard at it that he half expected it to combust in front of his eyes. He didn't want to be here. His mother had finally gotten sick of him stomping around the Burrow and come down this morning with a "mission" for him.  
  
"Charlie Weasley, this is VERY unlike you. Now, whatever happened, I'm sure it wasn't as bad as you seem to think it was, and it was probably your own fault."  
  
"Mum, I really don't want..."  
  
"Hush and listen to your mother." Molly's smile had been steely, and thinking back over the conversation, Charlie still knew that there was really no way he could have gotten himself out of this. "I have something that I need for you to get to Bill. It needs to be HAND-DELIVERED," she added when his glance slid to Errol, lolling around on the kitchen table.  
  
"Fine, make Percy..."  
  
"Percy's at work. No one else can apparate. YOU will get this to Bill."  
  
"Mum, he'll be home in a few hours, can't you just..."  
  
"Charles Weasley! You have not left this house in the last 48 hours! I want no more arguments! Out! Now!"  
  
"FINE. Where is he?" Charlie grumbled as he was shoved out the front door.  
  
"I'm fairly sure he's visiting Jenni Ferguson," his mother had answered, as she clicked the door shut in his suddenly very angry face.  
  
And now he was standing here, with his stomach a lump of lead and a really odd taste in his mouth, trying to burn a hole in her door with his eyes.  
  
He had two options, as he saw them. One was to turn tail and run. If he didn't have the sneaking suspicion that Bill was IN on this with his mother, and would report back if he failed to show, well that would be the obvious choice. But, since he'd peeked into the note his mother had written that was so "urgent" and found only some numbers, he was wagering that Bill knew perfectly well that he was coming.  
  
And so he had option number two. Charlie stared at the door, trying to think of any way to walk through it without having a nervous breakdown. Failing at that, he decided that speed was of the essence, and he would simply walk in, hand it to Bill, and leave.  
  
That is, of course, unless Nancy SAID something...  
  
Shaking his head, he was just reaching for the doorknob when the door flew open.  
  
"Charlie!"  
  
Jenni Ferguson stood there, looked seriously harassed and worried, and in a hurry to be somewhere. Peering around her, Charlie saw that the rest of the apartment was empty. No Bill. No Nancy.  
  
Jenni's mind was racing - Charlie! He might know... or at least... maybe he could tell her that she wasn't crazy. It was better than her original plan, which had consisted of going to Gringotts and asking around for Bill.  
  
With a sigh, Charlie decided he'd better at least try to mend his fences with Jenni - she'd probably been hearing enough bad stories about him the last few days.  
  
"You're going out? Feeling better, then?"  
  
"Yes, much better. Great, even..." Jenni avoided looking at the red eyebrow that shot up as Charlie eyed the bruises that she knew were still livid and purple on her face.  
  
"Well, I just..." Charlie started, at the same time that Jenni burst out with, "Listen, I think that..."  
  
They looked at each other for a moment, and then Charlie sighed. "Go ahead."  
  
"I... well, I'm worried about Nancy." Jenni watched him closely for a reaction, and stifled a sigh as she watched his face tighten and his eyes get colder.  
  
"Tell me something I didn't know," Charlie gritted his teeth, holding back some of the nastier comments that had sprung to mind. He'd heard enough of this from Bill... it was all well and good for the two of them to WANT to put Nancy and Charlie back together again, but he'd heard nothing from Nancy herself to make him believe either of them.  
  
"Well... I just, I think she's in some real danger, and I really want..." The look in Charlie's eyes was not encouraging, and Jenni faltered.  
  
"And you've told HER, and she's agreed with you, of course?"  
  
"No... no, I haven't brought up this new-"  
  
"Jenni. There's no way to help Nancy until Nancy agrees that there's a problem." There was an awkward silence, as Jenni tried to think of some way to get past his hurt exterior and Charlie tried to remember why he was still standing there. He shut his eyes as he leaned back against the door frame, fighting the instincts that would have him hurry off to wherever the little brunette had gone now and make her sit in a safe, locked room until all risk had passed. But since she would probably transfigure him into a toadstool and eat him as soon as he let her out, Charlie figured he'd stick with the hands-off approach.  
  
"Listen, it's just that, I could really use some support when-"  
  
Charlie's hand found the note that his mother had stuffed in his pocket when she'd shoved him out the door and he straightened abruptly. "Here. This is for Bill, next time you see him." He spun on his heel and started down the hallway. The sound of a foot connecting hard with the wall brought him up short. There was no need to treat Jenni so badly, he chastised himself.  
  
"Jenni," he said softly, "let Nancy fight her own battles. Trust me, she won't thank you for getting yourself or anyone else involved. She'd prefer to go down alone."  
  
Jenni watched him round the corner and heard the soft pop that was him apparating. "But I won't let her, dammit..." she whispered too late.  
  
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A/N - so yeah. Review. If it weren't for all you people who READ this... well, lets just say our NATURAL pace of writing would be MUCH slower. ;) 


	19. Mirror Mirror, the Spaghetti's Burning!

A/n - HELLO!!! Did you forget about us?? We're baaaaaaaaack! *evil laughter* :)  
  
Because we have decided that it looks nicer, thank yous are at the END of the chapter. ENJOY!  
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Jenni stood in the hallway for several minutes after Charlie left, debating whether or not to head off to Gringotts and look for Bill, or wait for him at Nancy's apartment. Neither option held any real appeal, besides the obvious of seeing a certain red-head. What Jenni really wanted to do was head to Knockturn Alley and check out who Nancy had been trying to buy dodo claws from. Really, it was no big deal, just a little information gathering... If all went well, she could be back before Bill got off of work and no one would be the wiser.  
  
Her mind made up, she hurried off. The thought crossed her mind as she arrived outside the Leaky Cauldron that it would be just like Nancy to decide that NOW was the time for a heart to heart and find her missing, but surely she'd be back in time to head that off.  
  
Within minutes, Jenni had made her way out of the Leaky Cauldron and into Diagon Alley. She walked slowly down the street, trying to look casual as she headed towards Knockturn Alley. Hopefully no one would recognize her and ask her what she was doing there, or want to stop and chat. She decided that her distraction must have shown on her face, because she made it all the way to the end of Diagon Alley without being approached by anyone.  
  
Jenni walked down a small set of steps that led into the dark alleyway. She had her hood pulled up on her robe hoping to conceal the three day old bruises that marked her face and carefully avoided eye contact with any one who passed her. She was in dangerous territory now, she reminded herself a bit nervously. Scanning the piece of paper in her hand for the address she had copied down, she made a right turn down a side alley and kept walking. Her eyes carefully skimmed both sides of the street looking for the signs of the first apothecary that Nancy had sent an owl to, but her mind was racing with thoughts of Death Eaters lurking behind every corner waiting to jump out at her.  
  
The side street she had taken was getting a bit deserted, she noted with some alarm. Increasing the pace of her walk, she glanced down at the address again. She should be almost there...  
  
The sound of approaching footsteps made Jenni's heart skip a beat and without a second thought, she ducked into a nearby shop. Poking her head out the door, Jenni cursed herself quietly for letting her thoughts get carried away as she watched an elderly witch hurry down the road.  
  
Taking a moment to regain her composure, Jenni sucked in a deep breath and made her way out of the shop. She looked around, knowing that the store she'd marked down should be right around here... but all she saw was a blackened, boarded up wreck of a shop.  
  
"Must've been a fire," she muttered to herself, crossing that one off and heading back to the more crowded alleyway. A passing shadow made her jump and gasp before she realized it was an old tabby cat. 'Dammit Jenni, you've got to get a grip. This is what you get for reading all those crazy muggle mystery novels. A head full of irrational thoughts and a fear of serial killers lurking behind every corner.'  
  
Just as she was about to continue on looking for the second address, Jenni stopped. Not even two stores down was the man who had attacked her in Nancy's apartment. Jenni felt her heart rate quicken and a cold chill ran down her spine. It was the exact same feeling she had the night she stepped into Nancy's apartment and realized she wasn't alone. With a quick glance, Jenni noticed that the man had walked out of an Apothecary. In FACT, it was the same name as the fourth one that had been hastily scribbled on her piece of parchment. She turned away with the pretext of looking interested in a cage of highly priced (and probably illegally caught) Golden Snidgets. Watching the reflection in the window with a wary eye, Jenni waited until the Death Eater had completely vanished down the other end of the street before she turned and made her way quickly back toward Diagon Alley.  
  
Relieved to be back in the sunshine and relative safety, she paused for a moment to let her hood down and then headed for the Leaky Cauldron and home.  
  
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Several hours later, Nancy emerged from her room. She had fallen asleep face down on her bed after the small argument with Jenni, and now her stomach was churning. She should have known better than to cry into her pillow... she always fell asleep afterwards, and every time she woke up with a stomachache. Not to mention those highly annoying pillow lines on her face.  
  
Heading for the bathroom, Nancy noticed an odd smell coming from the kitchen... and then she blinked. That was a LOT of smoke. With a large gasp that turned into sputtering and coughing, Nancy made her way to the kitchen. Even with her glasses on, it was impossible to see a thing. The smoke was thick, and Nancy wasn't sure if there was a fire in the kitchen or not. Hell, she wasn't even sure she had a kitchen left.  
  
Just as she was wondering why the hell her smoke alarm hadn't gone off, an ear piercing beeping sounded directly overhead.  
  
"Oh now you bloody well decide to work. Fat lot of help it does now!" she glared up at the ceiling, a good three or four feet above her reach. "Damn thing... now that I'm awake you won't shut up!" Since the best way to quiet the alarm would be to eliminate the smoke, she rubbed her quickly tearing eyes and began to survey her little domain.  
  
As she searched for the source of the smoke, Nancy cursed loudly - the muggle contraption would not cease its incessant noise, and she was beginning to feel it echoing inside her head, a sure sign that she'd be in pain all night. Catching sight of a blacker area of the thick billowing smoke, she made her way to about where the stove should be.  
  
Finally reaching the stove (which she noted with some relief was still there) Nancy groaned. Well, here she had the cause for the destruction of her kitchen. A pot of what appeared to be noodles, but which were now completely black after boiling out all the water and then burning the long skinny things to a crisp, was still set to HIGH. Another pan, this one her best skillet, of something (even Nancy couldn't tell exactly what) had bubbled over onto the burners, one of which was still on. Whatever it had been was also now a hard black crust on the pan itself. Nancy turned off all of the burners and took the first pot to the sink, filling it with cold water. A loud hiss escaped from the sink along with billowing steam and more cursing from Nancy.  
  
"Damn it! That was my favorite pot! OW!! And would you please SHUT UP!?" Nancy let a few expletives fly as she found a spoon and hurled it at the annoying smoke alarm.  
  
No sooner did she turn back to the stove to retrieve the other pot than a voice cut through the smoke "What is going on!?" Nancy jumped and dropped the still VERY hot pot right on her foot.  
  
Nancy could barely make out a very worried looking Bill Weasley as she fought the urge to kick the heavy pot with her already sore foot. "OW! I'm having a bloody TEA PARTY! What the hell does it look like is going on?"  
  
Bill's response was immediate. "Where's Jenni? Is she ok?"  
  
If Nancy hadn't been in so much pain already she would have thrown the damn pot at him. "I don't KNOW where Jenni is. The last time I saw her she was getting a glass of juice, out of this very kitchen. As for what happened with the glass of juice, or why I have pots of blackened... stuff... on my stove, I couldn't tell you."  
  
Bill shot an exasperated glare at Nancy before leaving to walk through the rest of the apartment, calling for Jenni. Nancy returned his nasty look full force, mumbling to herself, "How dare he?"  
  
She tossed the still steaming pan into the other side of the sink.  
  
"Just who does he think he is - walking in here like he owns the place?"  
  
Wincing at the soreness in her foot, she bent down and carefully grabbed the pot that had fallen.  
  
"And then..."  
  
She paused for a moment to rub her temples with her sooty fingers, the alarm was really getting to her.  
  
"...THEN he asks me about JENNI!"  
  
Straightening up, she turned the cold water on full blast, causing a column of white steam to rise from the second destroyed pot.  
  
"Doesn't care if I'M ok..."  
  
Glaring as she saw him check the bathroom, Nancy headed over to the lone kitchen window.  
  
"I'M the one suffering from smoke inhalation because JENNI decided to play cook!"  
  
She threw it open, and then went searching for a large book to prop it with... it had a tendency to decide that it wanted to be shut. They'd tried magic. Nothing worked but a good heavy book.  
  
"Typical male chauvinistic pig..."  
  
She was still muttering and banging the pots rather loudly when Bill made his way back to the kitchen. It had aired out some, but the smoke was still thick and her eyes were watering like crazy.  
  
"She's not here." His voice was sharp with an unspoken accusation.  
  
Nancy let out an exasperated sigh. "Of course she's here! Where would she go?"  
  
"You were the one who was supposed to be watching her. You tell me." Bill's face had begun to turn a deep red from anger and lines of worry creased his forehead.  
  
"I WAS watching her. How was I supposed to know she was going to leave? Maybe she needed something for whatever she was cooking?" Nancy's voice rose a notch, along with her stress level, as she tried to talk over the still screeching smoke alarm.  
  
Bill walked over, yanked the smoke alarm down off the ceiling and tossed it out the window. "You were ASLEEP!" he growled, pointing out the still obvious lines on her face from the pillow. "You call that watching? Jenni has been through enough without you falling asleep on her."  
  
Nancy blanched angrily as Bill's voice became menacingly quiet. "I know what Jenni has been through. I don't need you reminding me. And I'm sure she'll be back in a few minutes."  
  
Bill became extremely livid. "A FEW MINUTES!? How long do you think it should take? Whatever was cooking is now burnt to a crisp! If it was a short errand, she would have been BACK by now. And how in bloody HELL did you manage to sleep through all of this? Didn't you smell the smoke?"  
  
Nancy picked up the pot and threw it forcefully into the other side of the sink, causing a great deal of noise. Bill, she noticed with a triumphant smirk, had stepped back at her display of anger. "NO. I didn't smell the smoke. If I HAD, then MY kitchen would not resemble the aftereffects of a dungbomb explosion gone wrong! Is there anything else you want to know?"  
  
There were a few moments of relative silence as Nancy banged pots and pans around, splashing water all over the kitchen in an angry and loud attempt to clean up, at least a little bit. Bill scowled, but kept his distance, and began to wander around the smoky room with a bit more precision than his first quick check for Jenni. He walked over to the table, where Jenni's notes were neatly stacked and started to rifle through them, looking for some clue as to why she would bolt like this.  
  
The blaring of the alarm had indeed created the predicted pounding in Nancy's temples, and all the smoke she had inhaled in her hurry to find the fire was leaving her a bit woozy. She glared over to where Bill was flipping through some of Jenni's papers, and snapped, "Would you MIND helping?"  
  
Bill simply looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "You looked like you were quite enjoying playing muggle in distress..." Smirking at her furious growl, he very nearly grinned when she furtively pulled out her wand and started muttering cleaning spells. She looked almost as though she'd forgotten she could. As he came to the bottom of the stack of notes on the table, Bill reorganized them into their piles and looked around.  
  
The only other papers sitting out in the apartment were by the book of Wizarding Companies, over on the end table. He wanted to examine them, but good manners reminded him that owl mail was private. "Were you using the directory today?"  
  
"No, I keep it under the couch." Nancy sounded almost civil. "It's probably pretty dusty. Why, do you need it?"  
  
"Well, it's out and open..." he said, taking her answer as a good enough reason to pry. If SHE hadn't used it, then it stood to reason that Jenni HAD. Nancy apparently had the same idea, because she hurried over to see.  
  
It was open to the Apothecary page. Nancy blanched, having a sick sensation in the pit of her stomach as she whirled around to check the drawer where she had stashed the remains of her wretched attempt at illegal potion making. Surely Jenni hadn't found THAT...  
  
"Nancy." Bill's voice froze her as she stepped into the kitchen. "What are these lists?"  
  
Oh shit. She had.  
  
"Um... let me see..." She about-faced, but it was too late. Bill had already started scanning the open pages of the Ministry listing of Wizarding Companies for the shops on her handwritten list. It would just be a moment before...  
  
"Bloody HELL! Knockturn Alley! I think you'd better explain this."  
  
"Right, well..." She looked up at him, his blue eyes blazing and the anger on his face highly intimidating. Her head throbbed, reminding her why she shouldn't get into an argument with a Weasley right after swimming in smoke. "I was... er... researching places where you can get illegal ingredients for... a project. But, I don't know why she would bother with it. I ended the investigation weeks ago," she was warming to her subject now. "I mean, I couldn't get anyone to admit to having them, so I discontinued the whole idea. Just hadn't gotten around to throwing these out."  
  
Bill could tell that she wasn't telling him the whole truth. He didn't much care right now, he just wanted to know if there was any way that Jenni could have been misguided enough to GO to Knockturn Alley - alone and in her weak state.  
  
"Didn't you ever wonder how that Death Eater FOUND you? Are you not aware that owls can be TRACED? If you owled places like this..." he waved the list inches from her face, "no WONDER the creep was able to follow you here! You practically INVITED him in!"  
  
An idea suddenly clicked in his mind.  
  
"Do you remember who attacked you, the night of the party?"  
  
Nancy blinked, trying to follow his line of reasoning. "I... no. Not very well. It's all really fuzzy."  
  
"Damn it. We need Charlie, he'd remember..." Bill was striding around, gathering up the papers, and jotting down addresses with a sense of urgency; he missed the stricken look on Nancy's face at his words. The implications of his questions had finally hit home.  
  
Her already pounding head was reeling. What he'd said made sense - it was true, she'd never really considered the fact that sending out owls would give those on the receiving end her address. She'd just trusted that... well, the fact that she trusted anything to the decency of the shops on Knockturn Alley showed just how right he was. This was all her fault.  
  
"Are you coming or not?" Nancy looked up to see Bill waiting at the door. She hadn't heard a word he said in the last five minutes. Guilt welled up inside her - what if Jenni was really in danger? All her fault...  
  
"Yeah, I'm coming." Not sure where it was she was going, Nancy stood up and followed Bill out the door.  
  
While Bill waited for Nancy to lock the door he continued scanning the list of addresses he had scribbled down. His mind was racing with a thousand different thoughts; the most prominent one was hoping that Jenni, wherever she had gone off to, was all right. Shaking his head to clear it of any dark thoughts, he heard the lock catch and turned to go just as Nancy's voice caught his attention.  
  
"What's this?" Nancy was bending down to pick up a piece of parchment. "Did you drop this on your way over here?"  
  
Bill strode forward and took the paper. "No, I didn't have anything.wait a minute." He stared at the parchment as a look of recognition flashed in his eyes.  
  
"What is it?" Nancy had watched the change on Bill's face and knew something was up.  
  
"This is Mum's handwriting. She... she must have sent Charlie over here."  
  
Nancy felt herself falter as Bill mentioned his brother's name. "What do you mean? He was here? Why?"  
  
Bill sighed heavily. "Nothing. Just mum trying to... Listen, it doesn't matter. What matters is - if he knew ANYTHING about where Jenni was going and didn't try to stop her, I'm gonna bloody kill him."  
  
Nancy permitted herself the momentary weakness of praying that Charlie had stayed in bed ALL day, so that Bill would have no excuse to carry out his threat.  
  
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When they got to the Burrow, Bill shot a glare at Nancy and snapped, "Wait here. I'll be right back out with him."  
  
Without a second glance he headed inside. Checking for family members, he stopped first at the kitchen. There was a note on the table from his mother -  
  
"Took the kids to Chudley Cannons game (free tickets!) Percy's working late. Charlie wouldn't come. Talk to your brother (Charlie, not Percy). (well, Percy too, if you'd like)"  
  
Certain that he had the house to himself, Bill let loose a roar. "CHARLIE??"  
  
He heard a crash and some cursing from upstairs, followed by a good amount of splashing. Bathroom, then.  
  
By the time he got up to the landing that the bathroom was off of, Charlie was wrapped in a towel and leaning against the doorjamb waiting for him.  
  
"You hollered?"  
  
"Damn right, I hollered." His tone must have worried Charlie, Bill noted with grim satisfaction, because the open, amused look on his face vanished. "Remember this?"  
  
Bill pulled out the silly letter that he and his mother had concocted as an excuse to make Charlie leave the house. The same letter that Nancy had found on the hall floor outside her apartment. He waited tensely.  
  
"Oh, that. Mum was meddling, and wanted me to deliver it to you. I ran into Jenni on her way out and left it with her. But obviously, since you're holding it, you know that... what's going on?"  
  
"Would you mind telling me what was SAID when you saw her?" Bill grit out, worry and frustration making him a bit sharper than he usually would be when trying to get information. To his surprise, Charlie flushed.  
  
"Well... it's a bit embarrassing. I got a bit, er, shirty with her; she was trying to show me something."  
  
"A list, maybe?" Bill's hand tightened on the sheet of paper he was holding.  
  
"I didn't really look at it... might have been." Charlie stood up, heading back into the bathroom for his clothing. Bill followed, and Charlie turned back to him beginning to look annoyed. "Why? Did you lose her? She's a big girl, Bill... she'll be back as soon-"  
  
"Apothecary shops." Bill interrupted angrily, "On Knockturn Alley." Charlie went still, narrowing his eyes at the mention of that very dangerous road. "That's what the damn list was, you bloody wanker. And she tried to SHOW you!"  
  
Charlie groaned. What had she gone and done after he'd stormed out of there? He was about to offer to get dressed and come help when Bill started muttering, "You two... like bloody children. Don't want to listen, fall bloody asleep..."  
  
His temper rising, Charlie said angrily, "Jenni Ferguson is bloody well capable of taking care of herself and making her own decisions. If she makes a bad one, I'm quite willing to help her out, because I've always liked the girl. Besides, I don't fancy watching you go mad worrying. But don't go BLAMING her decisions on me... or Nancy either," he added a bit more softly, making Bill look back at him in surprise.  
  
"Fine. Just get some bleeding clothes on so we can go!" Bill snarled, stalking out of the bathroom and slamming the door.  
  
"Go WHERE?" Charlie rolled his eyes at the closed door and said to the mirror, "Really, he was much more pleasant BEFORE he fell in love."  
  
"You're one to talk. Now brush that hair, dear!"  
  
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"Wait here. I'll be right back out with him."  
  
Nancy didn't appreciate the tone of voice Bill used as he stalked towards the house. She thought about protesting, but having borne the brunt of his anger once already, she didn't really fancy trying to force her way into his family's home to confront his closest brother who also happened to be dead sexy and pissed as hell as her.  
  
Half an hour later, her worry and panic was fading and she was starting to feel like this whole trip had been planned strictly to humiliate her. Glaring at the door Bill had stomped into earlier with uncharacteristic clumsiness, she got up and marched towards the house.  
  
"I'll show him." She said half under her breath. "Thinks this is mighty funny, does he? Charlie's probably not even HERE. Probably he and Jenni are inside having a good laugh and a snog while I cool my heels and worry..."  
  
She yanked her wand out of her pocket and pointed it at the door. "Alohamora!"  
  
The door swung open, taking Nancy by surprise. That spell generally only unlocked doors, not opened them. She blinked twice and finally noticed that there was a hand attached to the doorknob on the inside. It was in turn attached to an arm - an arm that she was pretty damn sure would lead her right up to a pair of very dark, very cold blue eyes belonging to the Weasley she'd avoided thinking about whenever possible lately.  
  
"We don't lock our doors during the day," she heard Charlie say neutrally, confirming her suspicions. "Too many people coming and going all the time."  
  
"Oh. Right." Oh that was brilliant, Nancy. Just knock him off his feet with your sparkling wit. "I knew that..."  
  
She chanced a glance up at him, and caught him looking at her a bit quizzically. She nearly gasped when she surprised a look of real pain on his face, but it vanished as soon as her eyes met his, replaced by a tight, guarded look. Nancy quickly looked away.  
  
"So, at what point are you going to tell me the REASON you dragged me out of the shower and into the back yard, Bill?" Charlie asked, turning away from her to look at his brother, who was coming out the door with a few sheets of paper in his hands. Nancy took the opportunity to stare at the back of Charlie's red head; it was wild and damp, looking like he'd just run a towel over it and thrown on some clothes...  
  
Whoa there, Nancy... you're not even speaking to the man, and the first time you're within 100 feet of him you're imagining him naked? Her silent chastisements took longer than she realised, and by the time she looked back up at them, both men were looking at her expectantly.  
  
"Sorry, what?"  
  
"Do you agree? It's the best way to do this..." Bill's voice was clipped and frustrated. Charlie didn't say a thing, just watched her with unblinking eyes.  
  
"Well... I suppose, if you think it's the best way..." she mumbled, praying that she hadn't just agreed to anything too horrible. From the way Charlie glared at his brother and stiffened, she wasn't sure she'd made the right decision.  
  
"All right then, it's settled. Charlie knows the way around Knockturn. You two can take some of our old black cloaks to hide your faces. I'll check all the Diagon Alley stores, and we'll meet back at the Leaky Cauldron in three hours." Bill handed the copies of Nancy's list of suppliers to both of them and then whirled around, headed inside for the floo powder.  
  
"You know your way around Knockturn Alley?" The question slipped out before she realized what she was saying and to who. Reddening, she stuck her chin in the air and started inside, not expecting an answer.  
  
"Illegal dragon deals." His words were clipped and impatient. "Did some investigating a few years ago."  
  
"Charlie! Let's GO." Bill's voice came from inside, and Charlie nodded that Nancy should precede him in.  
  
As she walked in, Charlie took a minute to just look at her. She seemed tired, and was obviously worried about Jenni. He supposed that having Bill berate her for not paying closer attention to Jenni's comings and goings couldn't have helped her mood. Still, at least he didn't sense anger.  
  
She reached the door and turned back to look at him, and Charlie realized that he was still standing in the same spot. Scowling at being caught thinking about her when she'd been the one to overreact and kick him out in the first place, he hurried to catch up.  
  
Honestly. Dragons were so much simpler.  
  
After assuring Bill that they would indeed make their way to the Leaky Cauldron in three hours, he headed to the cloak closet to find something that they could hide under and still survive the summer heat.  
  
Nancy sat on a chair next to the fireplace to wait for him, not really sure what else to do. She was fairly certain that Jenni wasn't stupid enough to go wandering openly down Knockturn Alley accosting Death Eaters, but since this whole bloody situation was her own fault she hadn't felt up to arguing the point with Bill. It was hard to defend her theories when he was waving the evidence of her earlier stupidity in her face.  
  
It was only a few minutes before Charlie came back. He was carrying two cloaks, both the same size... really bloody big. Nancy stood up and bit her lip.  
  
"Which of those is for me?"  
  
"Oh... either." Charlie tossed the top one over to her, and Nancy held it up. It was a good foot longer than it needed to be on her, and she could wrap it around herself twice, easy. Although, it was made of some skin... very thin, but really soft. Running her hand over it in appreciation, she muttered, "Nice, but I'll be tripping over it the whole time."  
  
He ignored her, and reached for the floo powder. But before he got into the grate, he said, "We'll go straight to the quidditch shop. I know the owner... he'll let us out the back door. And do your best NOT to trip," he added, fighting to keep a straight face as she tried the cloak on. It was one of his; he had two made from salamander skins for his summer work in the dragon mating fields. It could get really hot in there for various reasons, and the heat resistant cloak provided one more layer of protection from over protective mates and mothers.  
  
But... it certainly was big on her. Reminding himself that she didn't WANT to be talking to him, never mind joking around with him about her size, Charlie sighed and directed his thoughts in a better direction. Time to go.  
  
"Quality Quidditch Supplies!" he said, throwing down his floo powder and watching for the familiar grate. Most people didn't know that they could bypass the entryway of the Leaky Cauldron, but he'd practically lived in this shop during his school years.  
  
Nancy watched him vanish and scowled. She'd never really liked floo powder... she had the worst luck with her glasses. And she realized suddenly, all tangled in this cloak she'd probably wind up tripping into someone's private grate. Taking it off again and folding it across her arm, she followed Charlie in a blaze of green.  
  
Charlie had landed hard, but he managed to stay upright. He waved at the owner of the store just as he heard the whooshing sound of Nancy arriving through the grate. Not wanting her to fall and hurt herself, he unobtrusively took a step back and let out a loud 'oomph' as Nancy slammed head long into HIM.  
  
Stumbling out of the grate, she could see the floor rushing up at her... until she ran right into the very solid back of Charlie Weasley. Very solid and very nice smelling, she noted absently as she struggled to find her feet. Hell, he even SMELLED manly. Oh dammit, she'd just done it again.  
  
Quickly distancing herself from him and his manly smell, Nancy let out a growl. "You didn't have to get in my way."  
  
Charlie narrowed his eyes. "Well, I thought you would be a little more grateful that I saved you from falling face first onto the ground."  
  
"My hero." With her voice full of contempt, Nancy glared at Charlie before turning to dust herself off.  
  
"Well you didn't seem to mind just a few weeks ago." Charlie's voice was equally sarcastic, covering how it smarted to remember the difference in her voice the first time she'd said that to him.  
  
Choosing to ignore that last comment, Nancy threw the cloak around her shoulders, nodded at the man behind the counter, stuck her nose in the air, and stalked out of the quidditch store. She headed in the direction that she suspected Knockturn Alley to be, all the while stumbling over the foot or so of material still dragging the ground. She was sure she heard Charlie trying to hide a snort of laughter as she nearly took out a stand of sandals with the latest in cushioning charms, and did that say water- repelling? She felt a strong hand wrap around her arm and keep her from hitting the table until she could sort out the yards of cloak wrapped around her right foot. Resisting the urge to turn around and glare at him, she stopped and looked at the display - only 9 sickles, not bad at all...  
  
Charlie kept his hand on her arm. It wouldn't do either of them any good if she wound up hurting herself before they even got to Knockturn Alley, and if he had to keep picking her up mid-fall, so be it. He waited for about ten seconds as she glared at the shoes, which had started competing for her attention by doing backflips and singing songs.  
  
"Not to interrupt anything important... but, do you know where you're going?"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous. Of course I know where I'm going." Nancy stepped back from the shoes and started walking quickly in the direction she'd started in earlier, determined not to look at Charlie.  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "And what do you plan on doing once you get there?"  
  
"I... well... I was going to..." Nancy stumbled over the words as she tried to hide the fact that she really had no plan and was only trying to get as far away from Charlie as possible. "I was going there to find Jenni." Nancy finished her sentence with as much dignity as she could muster with Charlie staring at her as if she had told him she had swallowed a live flobberworm.  
  
"Right." Charlie nodded. "Then lead the way. I'll follow you."  
  
Nancy stuck out her chin, proudly gathering up the cloak so as not to stumble over it again and began walking. Charlie stared at her, caught between grinning in amusement and seething in frustration at her unfair attitude towards him. Only a few steps further, she stopped mid stride and turned back to him, mumbling something under her breath.  
  
"What was that?" Charlie put a hand to his ear and leaned in towards Nancy. "I didn't quite catch what you said."  
  
Nancy flushed furiously and then snarled into his ear, "I said, I DON'T KNOW WHICH WAY TO GO!" She crossed her arms and smirked as Charlie pulled his head back. Nancy was feeling childishly satisfied as she watched him glare at her.  
  
That feeling quickly turned to confusion when she saw his eyes darken, and he reached forward, tugging her towards him as a rather large warlock shoved by behind her. As angry and scared and frustrated as she was, having him touch her like that sent a shiver down her spine.  
  
Charlie transferred his glare to the fat old man whose piggy eyes had lingered a bit too long on Nancy's curly hair as he passed. Despite the hurt that still remained, he let his hands linger for just long enough to feel her shiver. Trying to hide the smile of pure male satisfaction that rose up as he realized that she was NOT cold on this summer day, he reached around behind her for the hood of the cloak. He gently tugged it up over her head, hiding her in the depths of the large cloak. After all, he told himself, this wouldn't work if he was worrying about her getting hit on by the scum of the wizarding world.  
  
"All right, keep that up or we'll be in trouble," he said brusquely, stepping back and putting his own hood up. He started forward, but noticed that Nancy wasn't following. "WHAT is your problem now?"  
  
Her voice was muffled and annoyed. "I can't really see anything... hood's a bit large." He watched as she gathered up the folds of the cloak in one hand, holding them above the ground like some medieval lady, and then she stuck out her other hand. Charlie stared at it for a moment, his smile twisting wryly.  
  
"Well, then, m'lady, shall we?" he asked, taking her hand in his and leading her towards the shadowed entrance to Knockturn Alley.  
  
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Jenni breathed a sigh of relief as she climbed the steps to Nancy's apartment. That had been one hell of an experience that she didn't want to repeat any time soon. Knockturn Alley gave her the creeps, and seeing that man... she shuddered. Best not to think about it too much.  
  
She was just reaching for the door when an odd smell (was that smoke?) caught her attention. Jenni pulled her hand back slowly, remembering the incident that had occurred only a few nights ago. She reached in her robes for her wand and cautiously unlocked the door. Jenni turned the knob and swung the door open in one quick motion, stepping into the room half- expecting someone to come exploding out of the shadows. When no one appeared, she slowly made her way through the rest of the apartment repeating the same basic entrance - wand at the ready, fling open the door and check all corners.  
  
"Well Jenni, that does it for you," she muttered on her way out of the bathroom. The apartment seemed clear. "No more muggle mysteries for ten years. Here you go barging around like Charlie's Angels and you're down two angels! That's NOT what I would call a winning situation if you had been expecting a visitor. Especially after your last encounter."  
  
With a sigh, Jenni made her way to the kitchen. The smoke smell was much stronger here, and Jenni groaned as she noticed a pair of burnt pots in Nancy's sink. Slapping her hand on her forehead, she sank into a nearby chair. "Nancy's gonna kill me. I forgot to turn off the spaghetti. That means... I ruined her favorite pots!"  
  
It suddenly hit her that Nancy wasn't standing there, waving the pots at her angrily. She hadn't been asleep in the bedroom, or in the bathroom... DAMN it. Jenni winced as she let her still sore head fall with a thud onto the table. Obviously, Nancy had awoken and realized that Jenni had left in a hurry. This complicated matters.  
  
She sat upright suddenly. Maybe she could head to the Burrow and tell Nancy she had been there all along. It would work, as long as Bill hadn't decided to stop here first on his way home from work. Her heart lifted for a second, but then reason took hold. She wasn't going to lie outright to Nancy. But she WAS going to head over to the Burrow anyway. Maybe Nancy had gone there to look for her...  
  
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A/N AAAAAAAAAND CUT. Hey, don't glare at me. This one's Loooooooong. Ah, but if only Jenni knew, huh? ;) WELL. Let's get on with it... iiiit's THANK YOU time! I love this part. THIS chapter's thanks are directly from the keyboard of JENNI! Except the one that's to my big sister. Cause Jenni figured I had to respond to that one. But the REST all ALL her.  
  
Zoe - you know, Snape's woman really sounds like a cool person. You think she really could help me? LOL, at least I would have someone on my side right?? ;)  
  
Louisa - hope this chapter didn't end as quickly for you! But you know what I find helps?? You read it two or three times just to make sure you don't miss anything!! (nancy note... Like, say, CHARLIE in a towel?? ;) )  
  
Joyce - well, I'm really sorry you feel that there is too much time between chapters. Unfortunately we work on this story when time allows us. As for giving up other less important things... well, Nancy could give up school and her new job and sit around the house all day and I could tell my boss that being an assistant manager at the store I work at is no longer top priority. But obviously we're not going to, so the story gets done on our schedule. As for the thank yous, we feel it a privilege and an honor that people actually take the time to read something we started for fun. In fact, the thank yous that we take the time to write out take up only a half hour and are done well after the chapter has been written, edited, and a proper title thought of. It's just our way of telling each one of you personally that we appreciate the fact that you take the time to read this and give us many helpful ideas on how we can improve our writing or where we don't need any help. We are both disappointed to see that THAT is what you came away from the last chapter with... complaints about our time schedule and nothing to say about the story itself.  
  
Carrie!! HEE HEEE!!! Nancy?? Make peace with Charlie?? HAHAHHHAA!! Don't make me laugh! OW!!! Nancy, what didya hit me for?  
  
LILY!!! Well, this one only took us about a week to write it...only a month and a half to post it! HAHAA....I guess that's some sort of improvement. Or maybe not.  
  
Psiana - I say this every time but your reviews just crack me up! HAHAHAAA!!! Shorter than a kneeling midget!! HEEHEEE, and I get a mental image of mini Bill trying to kneel. HAHAHAAA!!! OOOH, maybe that wasn't the right thing to say. He looks a bit miffed at me. Er...sorry Bill. Oh, and just so you know...we aren't in Bali. Nancy got us one way tickets to Aruba! ;)  
  
Fracindy - you get major hugs!! You are really the coolest! Thanks for being so understanding and supportive! Even just the littlest things mean the most to writers. (You know how that is!!!) And I'm sure Percy really has been keeping a pretty close eye on you! AHAAAHAHAA!!  
  
Big Sis -- Cushions?? STRAWBERRIES?? Where are they?? I waaaaaant! Here's the freakin rest of it. :P And... well... for the moment you're far too far away to kick me anywhere. ;) Enjoy.  
  
Heather - thanks for reading!! Just don't let Nancy hear you say that Charlie is cute. Even though she's mad at him, she still tends to be a bit possessive of him! ;)  
  
Hey Karen! HAHA, well just so you know Nancy and I take turns writing the thank yous and responding to the reviews. I'm sure she sees them just as well as I do! And yes I totally agree with you, she and Charlie really need to get over themselves. Acting like children! Hmph, what's wrong with them??  
  
Ronsspawn - you think it's frustrating reading about it?? You should try living with a moping Nancy...HEY!! OW!! Quit throwing pots at me Nancy! I Know I don't really live with you...I was...OW!!! OOOH, this pot is burnt bad! (Runs away from Nancy, who is frantically chasing Jenni with a pot)  
  
Margaret - NO!! You can't go into FLUFF DEPRIVATION!! We won't let you! More fluff soon, we promise. Just not in this chapter. Maybe the next one?? Who knows, we'll see.  
  
Christine, Hailey, or Paige - (UM, take your pick which one you want to be today...) LOL, thanks soooo much for reading and reviewing! HEHEEE, and yes, the Molly Weasley bit...forcing Charlie to go to the apartment. Clever witch, that Weasley mum is!!  
  
Heather - (Ok, so I'm assuming this is a new reader with the name Heather, which makes two of them!!) Charlie, Bill, Fred, George, what's not to like about those Weasleys dear??? As for more chapters, we put them out as soon as we can! Thanks for reading! And we're so glad you like it! :D  
  
Wilma Love - HAHAHAAAA!!!! Making a fuss over Bill and Charlie is an art that Nancy and I have perfected! MUWAHAHAHAHAA!! Feel free to join us anytime! And much thanks for the lovely praise! (Feel free to do that anytime as well. We quite enjoy praise!)  
  
REVIIIIIEW!!! And you could get a little mention TOO! ;) ;) 


	20. Operation Locate Ferguson

A/N - ER. Um. Well. Yes... thought we'd forgotten about this one, didn't you? Well, we didn't. And we have no plans to forget about it. It's way too much fun! Hope everyone's enjoyed reading Book 5!! I would just like you ALL to note page 70... in the American one, at least. Jenni and I just bounced around when we read that. Of course, Jenni also put a price on a certain blonde's head, but I'm trying to talk her out of murder. Sorry again about the long wait. We really do want to update this more often, but it's hard. Hang in there, we'll keep trying.  
  
THANK YOUS!!  
  
Christine - Why thank you for the nice words about the waiting being ok and the quality and... what's that? You don't remember these words? But they were your last review, and that was ONLY in... the very beginning of May. Hmmm. *runs away*  
  
Heather R - Civil? I resent the implication that I am in any way shape or form SPEAKING to that MONSTROSITY of NATURE covered in BRIGHT RED FUR. *ahem* Right, er.. sorry, was a bit too in character there. And Jenni and Bill are both big worry warts, aren't they? And here we all thought Bill was all cool and non-worrywartish. MWA HAHAHAHA.  
  
Joyce - It looks like we both owe YOU an apology. I hope you didn't drop this... we were both under a lot of stress and really upset to see what seemed like one of our longtime readers giving up on us. Still it doesn't justify going off on you. Can we agree on no hard feelings? As soon as you posted your review, Jenni and I were hoping to contact you and let you know that we were sorry, but there wasn't any email or contact info, so this is the best we can do.  
  
Pantherocker - What nice words!! LOOK, Jenni! They said it hasn't been boring at ALL! Hehehe. That's really nice to hear. And, er... this is NOT quick updating to us. We really do mean to get our act together and start posting more regularly, but life keeps interfering.  
  
Karen - glad you liked it! Ooops, ah well, another review from me. I'm a nasty review-snatching tyrant, right Jenni?  
  
Louisa - *BOWS DOWN TO THE GREATEST REVIEW EVER* You rock. Wait wait - I'm getting a vision... I see... why, it's Harry! And he's wearing nothing but a towel! Put some clothes on there, Harry, it's not your turn to be distracting!  
  
Psiana - Hmmm. I don't know if I can even RESPOND to that review. I mean, it's far too distracting. Jenni, do you think we could just use HER ideas and have lots of nekkid... oh no? Dang. Not yet, you say? *innocent grin*  
  
Ellie - YO. Er... it's finally here? And... er... Curly head and Red aren't quite to that point yet... got some other stuff to take care of first. ;) Anywho, Enjoy and see you FRIDAY!!!  
  
Fracindy - "Dragons are so much simpler" is your official slogan? LOL! Anywho - THANK you for the comment about the tension and the humor and the way it all worked out... we WERE trying to cheer everyone up a bit. And... even though I've previewed you part of this chapter... enjoy your moment in the spotlight. ;)  
  
Margaret - First off, lets deal with the suspense/Nancy/Charlie thing. I THINK I know what you're talking about, and I THINK we did better in this chapter. If not, let us know... maybe you can email me a more detailed explanation! I'm interested to hear what you think. SECOND - I LOVE POUND CAKE! :D Hee hee. And, while this is NOT exactly a cure for the fluff deprived, it's... er... well, a little better? Also - I hope your play went well! I love that one... and Lady Bracknell is a fun fun character.  
  
Zoe - you really should WARN the good professor when you invite us over for tea. I'm still recovering from the hexes he shot at me as he slammed the door in my face. ;) ENJOY! (and no hexing fracindy... remember, you're TAKEN in this story)  
  
Lily - is it weird that you like it when people fight? Well, no... Are you weird? Well, YES. ;) But it's ok. I'll take you Scotland ANYWAY. :D  
  
Wilma Love - YAY! We are NOT ULTIMATELY BORING!! Hee hee. Good to hear. Hope you enjoy this one.  
  
Meredith - A NEW reader, everyone! And she's Romanian! Welcome Meredith. And... forgive me, but I'd just gotten you review and I needed a name for this one part and... well, you won the cameo for being the super cool newest reviewer.  
  
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Jenni arrived at the Burrow with a pop and knocked on the door. When there was no answer she headed around back, thinking that maybe everyone was outside. As she rounded the backside of the house she realized that the yard was empty. Jenni felt a shiver run down her spine. With as many Weasleys as there were it was hard to imagine that not one of them was home at this particular moment.  
  
"Well then, just take MY bloody bed!" An angry male voice drifted out from one of the windows, ending her reverie and startling Jenni into jumping. "I'LL go sleep at the office, if you're so bloody worried about our couches!"  
  
Jenni raised an eyebrow and headed for the back door. This sounded like far too much fun to miss out on. If she wasn't mistaken, that would be the third Weasley son... P-something. Nancy had known him better. But what was all this talk about beds?  
  
"And at what point will you get it through that gros tête of yours that I didn't want to COME here in the first place?" As Jenni pulled open the door, she heard a woman's voice rise shrilly. It had a faint French accent, and as the woman's speech went on, the accent and French words increased. "Toi, tu es INCROYABLE! I was parfaitement capable of handling this situation, et quel est ton problème? You think that I will BREAK your precious Ministry! You must think that I am un vrai DÉSASTRE!"  
  
Edging around a corner towards the voices, Jenni saw the two young people standing about a foot apart glaring hotly at each other. She had been right, it was the P Weasley... PERCY, that was it. And the young woman looked vaguely familiar... she had dark blond hair and came about up to Percy Weasley's nose.  
  
"THINK you are? I KNOW you are!"  
  
Jenni couldn't help comparing the young, wiry man to his older brothers. He certainly didn't have their assurance or presence yet, but when he worked himself up she could definitely see the resemblance.  
  
"And I speak bloody French, so don't go waving THAT around as though you can confuse me... I was-"  
  
"Head Boy at Hogwarts! AH Oui, Je sais, I KNOW already! You only mention it three times a day!" The girl rolled her eyes and stepped back. Jenni ducked back out into the hallway, feeling as though it would NOT be beneficial to intrude while both were so obviously agitated.  
  
Percy's voice dropped a bit, and Jenni had to strain to hear what he muttered.  
  
"No need to get nasty. I was only trying to help everyone out..."  
  
"I'm not being nasty! You all but tossed me into the grate and sent me to your HOME, because you were worried that I'd foul up your papers or something! You're just helping yourself out!"  
  
Risking a peek into the room, Jenni had to suppress a grin when she saw the young man reach out and grab his companion's arm, turning her around to face him. "Well, yes. I didn't think it was a great idea to leave you in the office... but not just because of wanting an office to come BACK to in the morning." The girl glared at him and tried to pull away, but apparently Percy resembled his brothers more than Jenni had thought, because he easily kept her there. "Noëlle, calm down! I ALSO thought you'd be a bit more comfortable, and, er... safer, really. If you came here, I mean..."  
  
He started to redden and the girl, Noëlle was what he'd called her, shot him an odd look. "I mean, Dad would be particularly annoyed if I didn't do something to keep his office AND his assistant intact..."  
  
"Alors, you brought me here for your FATHER?"  
  
"Er... well..."  
  
Biting her hand to keep from laughing out loud, Jenni almost cheered when the blond reached up and pulled the stammering boy in for a kiss. She turned to give the couple some privacy when she heard conversation commence again.  
  
"What was THAT for?"  
  
"You almost admitted to being human," Noëlle said with a smile in her voice before walking out of the room. Jenni hurried to walk a bit further away and turn around, hoping the girl wouldn't realize that she'd been overheard.  
  
Noëlle, however, did not look shaken in the least. As she passed Jenni, she gave a big smile and whispered, "It'll take him ten minutes to realize that I just stole his glasses. Watch. You want some dinner?"  
  
Bemused, Jenni grinned and followed the young lady into the kitchen. "You come here a lot? You seem to know your way around."  
  
"Oh yes. Monsieur Arthur is always forgetting his lunch or his left sock, or something... and the poor owl, Errol, he is too âgé to bring such things back and forth." She paused and giggled. "Et, Monsieur Gros Tête cannot be bothered."  
  
Jenni paused, confused. Nancy was the one who'd always enjoyed the foreign languages... she'd even dated a muggle linguist for a little while. "Gross Tette? What does that mean?"  
  
Noëlle turned to look at her, mid-sandwich flipping. It looked like they were having grilled cheese. "Ah, sorry, it is... Big Head in English." Jenni's snort of laughter was contagious and soon the two women were giggling as quietly as they could, eating slightly lopsided cheese sandwiches.  
  
Suddenly, Noëlle looked up. "Ah, you see, ten minutes... attendez..."  
  
"NOËLLE! Did you take my bloody glasses ag- OH. Hello, Jenni." Percy had come careening into the room and stopped short when he realized that he and Noëlle were not alone. His face stiffened, and he flushed a dark red. "Didn't hear you come in. Did you, er... JUST get here?"  
  
Jenni glanced at Noëlle but the girl didn't seem at all put off by Percy's tone.  
  
"Of couse she didn't! We have been eating our lunch, and she was here for AGES," here she slanted a knowing look at him which, Jenni was amused to note, made his ears go the color of a ripe tomato. "...looking for, your brother, non?"  
  
"Oh, er... yes, that's right." Better not to mention that she had been hoping to head off a panicked Nancy.  
  
Percy looked at her in confusion. "But Bill had said quite clearly that he was headed over to your place when he was done, to check on you."  
  
"Right..." Darn head boy memories. "Well, see... I wasn't actually looking for BILL. I, was, er..."  
  
"Charlie's not here either. Although, now that I think of it, I don't know why not. Mum's note said quite clearly that he'd stayed behind."  
  
"Well, I knew that..." Jenni mentally banged her head on the table. He'd given her the perfect excuse - she'd come looking for Charlie and he wasn't here. NOW, she had to come up with a reason to be looking for one of the YOUNG brothers. Well... scanning the room, she noticed the clock on the kitchen wall. She couldn't use Bill or Charlie, Percy was standing right there, so that left...  
  
"Fred!" Percy and Noëlle both shot startled looks at her.  
  
"You were looking for FRED?" The expression on Percy's face was almost total disbelief. "Why on earth..."  
  
"Well, see... it's, umm... they, I mean, we..."  
  
"Just LOOK at me, Perce! Why WOULDN'T such a fine woman want to come and seek me out?"  
  
All three inhabitants of the kitchen whirled around to see a grinning Fred (Jenni was assuming it was Fred and not George) Weasley, along with the rest of the Weasley party - Harry Potter (who appeared to be fighting a case of the giggles), that small brown haired girl that Jenni thought she remembered as Hermione, the younger Weasleys and their mother. Jenni had to hold back a giggle as Fred winked at her conspiratorially. What a family.  
  
"Now, Fred... if Jenni here came to see you, you'd best get on with it. Don't want to keep the lady waiting and all that, eh Percy?" The other twin, who Jenni trusted was George, walked over and offered her his arm with a flourish. Laughing, she wiped her hands on a napkin and accepted.  
  
Noëlle grinned and waved at her as she left, and Jenni had to smile when she saw her slip the glasses back to Percy unobtrusively as the rest of the clan sat down around the table.  
  
"SO," one of the twins was giving her a speculative look. She'd lost track of them in the waving good bye and no longer knew which was which. Dang it. "WERE you looking for us?"  
  
"Not that we mind if you weren't," the other twin jumped in quickly. "I mean, we told you that we owed you for getting Bill to try the toffee."  
  
"Right... well, honestly, I was looking for... your mother," Jenni decided to be as truthful as she could be without being alarming. "But Percy looked like he was going to want to know WHY, and-"  
  
Both twins grinned at her. "Oh don't worry. We understand THAT line of reasoning, and really, I'm quite honored to be the first Weasley out of the hat."  
  
"Yes, well. Since she's here to speak to me, why don't you boys go help with dinner?" Mrs. Weasley appeared in the doorway, making shooing noises towards the kitchen. "And NO bothering Percy!"  
  
"Yes, Mum!" they chorused a bit too innocently. As they neared the door, one of them smirked, "Noëlle's much prettier anyway."  
  
"Oooh, Marion will have your head for that. You know how she feels about blonds!"  
  
"But I'm sure LILY won't mind a bit that you were in total agreement?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley shut the door firmly behind them and gestured Jenni to a couch. "Now, dear. I'm delighted to see you, of course, but... what's wrong?"  
  
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Bill arrived at The Leaky Cauldron in low spirits. His anger had subsided some and now he was just really worried. He kept hoping that Jenni was smart enough not to go wandering around Knockturn Alley alone, but he also knew she was strong willed. Once she got something in her head, there would be no stopping her.  
  
Blinking several times as he stepped out of the Leaky Cauldron and into the bright sunshine, Bill looked around Diagon Alley. He kept an eye out for a familiar brown head, but knew it was pointless to scan the crowded street. With a deep breath he headed off to Williams and Frouder's, the first Apothecary on the damn list of Nancy's. It was located next to the bank, and he got waylaid a few times by coworkers asking if he'd heard yet about his transfer. He hadn't, and that just made him crankier.  
  
As he left Williams and Frouders, he found himself admitting that he could have handled that better. Maybe a few less threats on the storekeeper's life, and learning to take "No, I haven't seen her" for an answer would be a good start. The experience of having to shell out five galleons for replacing damaged goods had been calming, and his Weasley temper was now firmly leashed. He headed down the street to the next shop with grim determination, trying not to hope too hard that Nancy and Charlie were having worse luck than he was. He didn't want her to have been seen around Knockturn Alley - that would mean she'd BEEN there in the first place.  
  
No, what he was HOPING to achieve by their "mission" was that the forced proximity to each other would either cause bloodshed or force them to kiss and make up already. He, for one, was bloody tired of the standoff.  
  
He crossed the third apothecary off of his list as the clocks chimed the hour, and Bill couldn't help but grin. Apparently the "concerned boyfriend" played much better than the "deranged madman" in terms of information gathering. They hadn't seen her, but they'd ask around and would he like a cookie? The cookie had improved his spirits dramatically. He was almost sure that he'd find Jenni hanging around in one of the next shops.  
  
Twenty minutes later, the grin was slipping. Still no sign of Jenni, and no one could remember seeing her. The last person he'd spoken to had remarked, "Brown hair, short... that could describe half the witches in England, mister! Blue eyes isn't much to go on." Bill had tried to explain that once you'd seen Jenni, you didn't forget her, no matter how "normal" her description was, but the attendant had shrugged and moved on to help an old woman with her order of two pounds of hair of kneazle.  
  
He looked down at the list - only three shops left. One of them was closed, it had gone out of business last January due to some bad shipments of eye of newt - you didn't recover from that sort of embarrassment, at least not on Diagon Alley. That left... Yuri's Foreign Potion Supply and Brewer Griswald's. Bill glanced up just in time to dodge a large, cranky looking warlock who was barreling his way down the street. As he watched, the man made a sharp turn about five shops beyond Bill and disappeared.  
  
He was closer to Knockturn Alley than he'd realized.  
  
Setting his shoulders, he let his worry show through on his face as he ducked into Yuri's.  
  
"Good afternoon, Sir! Can I be of service to you?" The chipper voice of a young woman with a heavy Romanian accent made its way across the store. Bill sighed, preparing himself to explain everything again. "Sir, is everything all right?"  
  
"Hello," Bill noticed her name tag, "Meredith." He took a deep breath, "Actually, I'm looking for someone, and I think she may have been in here earlier today."  
  
Her eyes lit up, "Oh, are you an Auror, then? Are you searching for a criminal - but I didn't see anyone dangerous in here today... maybe I can't help you."  
  
"Well, actually, she's not very dangerous looking." Bill tried to hide an amused grin at the disappointment that showed on her face.  
  
"Oh. Well.. there were a few women in this morning, but she IS a wanted criminal? Will she be going to Azkaban?"  
  
"Well, that all depends on if I find her," he interjected smoothly. Obviously this girl would try harder if she thought there would be a big criminal brought to justice, so why not let her think that way. "She's very small, only about this high," he pointed to his shoulder and tried not to think too much about how worried he was. "Brown hair, blue eyes, probably wearing a very basic cloak..."  
  
"Oooh, to help her blend in with the crowd, right?" The young woman got up and started pacing around. "Well, like I said, we had a very slow morning."  
  
Bill gave a sigh and made to leave, but the girl wasn't done. "So when it is slow, I generally go and sit out on that bench and watch the people. And there were a few women who stopped. Let's see..." She bent down and felt for something behind the counter.  
  
A few moments later, she had pulled out a large pad of paper and was flipping through the pages, muttering to herself. "No, that was yesterday... oops, last week! AH!" She grinned and came out from behind the counter. "Here we go."  
  
Bill looked down at the sheet of paper she was holding out to him. It was filled with sketches - witches and wizards in various poses, with and without hats, most in front of barrels and shelves of faintly recognizable products. He looked back at Meredith, who was bouncing expectantly. "I don't understand..."  
  
She gave a snort and pulled the paper away so that she could wave it in front of his face. "These are all the customers we've had this morning - if she'd been here, she'd be on there."  
  
Bill glanced around the page once more with increased interest... the figures were wandering around as best they could, she obviously used one of the magical pencil sets that he'd seen sold at Zonko's. Some of the half drawn ones were hopping (legless) or rolling (bodiless) around. As his eyes drifted down to the corner, he saw a familiar face looking up at him.  
  
"There! That's her!"  
  
But when he held it out to show Meredith, Jenni's penciled self ran and hid behind a large barrel of pickled zebra snouts.  
  
Meredith looked at the round face peaking out from behind the barrel. "Oh yes, now I remember. She was headed for the shady part of town, if you know what I mean."  
  
Bill's heart sank into his stomach as Meredith nodded towards Knockturn Alley. He muttered a few choice words and headed towards the door when Meredith's voice stopped him.  
  
"You won't find her there, though."  
  
Bill spun around and eyed Meredith suspiciously. "Why not?"  
  
"Because she's not there anymore." Meredith tutted impatiently. "She came back through only a bit ago. She stopped in for a minute and kept looking over her shoulder... very suspicious now that I think of it. As if she were expecting someone to walk up behind her. What is she wanted for?"  
  
Bill's patience was now borderline nonexistent. "Did you talk to her? Did she say anything about where she was headed?"  
  
"Yes I spoke to her briefly..."  
  
Bill watched as Meredith placed the sketch back into the book, a thoughtful look on her face. His patience had definitely flown out the window and his temper was getting the best of him. "Well?"  
  
Meredith looked at Bill. "Well, what?"  
  
Bill gripped the counter and tried his best to speak calmly. "You said you spoke to her. What did she say?"  
  
"Oh, right. I asked her if she needed any help but she was only looking around before she headed off home. You know, I think you might have the wrong person. She was a bit paranoid, but seemed awfully nice."  
  
Bill rushed out of the store, not waiting for her to take a breath so that he could thank her. His heart was pounding - she'd looked worried, as though someone was following her? He raced down the street towards the Leaky Cauldron. He had to get back to Nancy's apartment and make sure she was ok.  
  
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Nancy felt absolutely ridiculous sneaking about Knockturn Alley in a robe that was three sizes too big for her. She was sure that no one was fooled into finding her dark and intimidating. She was ALSO sure that every time she stumbled Charlie was trying not to laugh at her as she gripped his arm for support. And, it didn't help matters any that she had just admitted to him that she had no clue as to where she was going and was totally dependent on him to get her back safely. Busy contemplating the general stinkiness of the whole situation, Nancy lost her footing again and felt Charlie reach out to steady her.  
  
"Careful there. We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself would we?"  
  
Nancy pushed the hood off of her face just enough to see Charlie grinning broadly at her. Glaring at his comment out of pure bad humor, she gripped his arm tighter as she regained her balance and cast a rather evil grin as he winced slightly.  
  
"So kind of you to be concerned," she snapped.  
  
The tone of Nancy's voice caused Charlie to stop grinning altogether. "Yeah, I suppose it is rather nice of me not to let you fall flat on your face."  
  
"Should I also be thankful that you had the decency to NOT LAUGH OUT LOUD?" Nancy's voice rose a notch and several passersby turned to stare.  
  
Charlie grabbed Nancy's arm, which caused her to yelp and several more people to turn and stare at them. As he dragged her away from the onlookers he hissed under his breath. "Why don't you speak a little louder and blow this whole thing? We're here to look for Jenni, not argue."  
  
Nancy glared at Charlie as he mentioned Jenni's name. Typical of him to find something to cause her to feel even more childish. She let out a small sigh and dropped her head, trying to ignore the slimy smiles of the men in the Everything Reptile shop across from them. Charlie put a gentle hand on her shoulder and she paused, confused, just long enough for him to hastily pull her hood back over her head and walk away.  
  
Nancy went back to glaring (who did he think he was, telling her what to do, anyway?) and was about to push the hood back when Charlie's low voice sounded right next to her ear. "If you so much as touch that hood, I'm going to tie it down over your face so you can't push it back again."  
  
Nancy growled indignantly and let her hands drop. "Fine."  
  
Charlie had taken a few steps when he realized that once again Nancy wasn't following him. Turning around, he found her standing in the same spot with her foot entirely lost in the folds at the bottom of the robe. He reached her just as she yanked it free, and stopping in front of her with a low growl, he gathered most of the material up and shoved it into one of her hands. Charlie grabbed her other hand and headed for the nearest apothecary.  
  
Nancy swallowed hard as she looked at the sign hanging over the door. It was hanging loosely on one hinge and swinging back and forth making an eerie creak. The words were a bit faded and were splotched with what could have been mud stains but looked an awful lot like blood.  
  
Charlie pulled a handful of cobwebs away from the sign and read the name out loud. "Lucifer's Poison."  
  
Nancy peered back innocently as Charlie glared at her. "Well, it didn't sound that creepy when I read it in the directory."  
  
Nancy watched as Charlie shut his eyes and mouthed something QUITE unacceptable. Just when she thought it was safe, he rounded on her. "IT DIDN"T SOUND THAT CREEPY?" he whispered furiously. "What the hell were you thinking? Sending owls to Knockturn Alley and all you were considering was how CREEPY the name sounded? No wonder Jenni flips out every time you get into trouble."  
  
The words stung. Nancy pushed back the hood on her robe and her eyes flashed with anger as she leaned towards Charlie. "How DARE you! That may have been ill-advised, but it doesn't warrant you talking to me like a two year old!" Charlie's eyebrows lowered and Nancy hurried to cut off whatever he was going to say. "I didn't ASK for your help in this if I remember correctly. In fact, I don't recall asking for anyone's help!"  
  
"That's the problem, Nancy! You never ask for anyone's help. If you would have asked for help instead of concocting some wild idea about making an illegal potion, then Jenni would have never found that list and I would not be here having this discussion with you because we would not NEED to look for Jenni!" Charlie's voice had risen in volume to match Nancy's and both were unaware of the number of people lurking in the alley, listening.  
  
"Well since it's OBVIOUS that neither of us care for present company maybe I should just go back to my apartment and wait for Jenni there. YOU can search Knockturn Alley alone!"  
  
Nancy turned away, not giving Charlie a chance to respond, and headed for what she hoped was the route back to Diagon Alley. She hadn't walked more than five steps when she stopped dead in her tracks. There staring straight at her was the same man who had attacked her at the Burrow. She was vaguely aware of Charlie coming up behind her, still yelling something about her careless behavior as she fought to move her feet. A cold shiver went down Nancy's spine as she watched the man smile evilly at her and she almost didn't see him reach for his wand when Charlie stepped in front of her.  
  
"Don't walk away from me, not HERE." He hissed at her, worry and anger showing on his face. She was still trying to make her muscles work... the wand was pointed right at them, it was him... he was going to...  
  
"Charlie, watch-" she croaked out just as a bolt of yellow light shot out of the man's wand. Frozen in place, she saw Charlie turn to look, his face registering shock as his entire body tensed, absorbing the spell as it hit him. Even as he stumbled, he wrapped his arms around her, blocking her from the attacker's sight.  
  
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Jenni's head shot up quickly as she sat down. "What makes you think anything is wrong?"  
  
Mrs. Weasley gave a soft smile. "I've raised seven children. I can tell when something is bothering a person. Now, do you want to tell me about it?"  
  
Jenni waited until Mrs. Weasley was sitting. "Well, I'm not sure if anything is wrong. I just..." Jenni paused for a moment, wondering how much detail she should go into about leaving Nancy's apartment and heading to Knockturn Alley and finding the apartment empty when she returned. Deciding that wouldn't be the wisest thing to do given how Bill had told her how volatile his mom could become, she switched the direction of her conversation.  
  
"Go on dear." Mrs. Weasley urged.  
  
"Well, it's just that I'm worried about... Nancy. We had a bit of an argument earlier and I was cooking spaghetti for her. You know, to make up for the fight. And, well, I had to leave the apartment to get a few things, and when I got back, no one was there."  
  
Jenni looked up, feeling guilty about not telling Mrs. Weasley the whole truth. In fact, she was almost certain that Mrs. Weasley was eyeing her a bit speculatively and Jenni wasn't too sure that Mrs. Weasley bought her rather lame story.  
  
"Perhaps it would help if you tell me what you two were arguing about?"  
  
Jenni sighed and leaned back against the couch closing her eyes for a moment. "It's not really anything serious. I mean, I only mentioned Charlie's name and she had a fit."  
  
Jenni stood up and began pacing the floor. "Honestly, she's been acting like a bloody prat about this whole thing. I don't even know what happened between them but she's miserable without him. But her pride won't let her see that. She just sits around all day moping. Then she goes to work and comes home in the same depressed mood. It's ridiculous. And from what Bill says, Charlie isn't acting much better. They're like a couple of children. Ooh, I could just ."  
  
Jenni stopped short as she caught Mrs. Weasley's amused expression at her sudden outburst. She felt her face turn a brilliant shade of red. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have gone on like that. I just got so carried away." She glared out at the setting sun. "Where ARE they all?"  
  
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A/N - WAHOO!! DONE!! Well, for this part, at least. Let me tell you, I lost an hour of sleep to finally FINISHING this tonight!! SO the least you could do is hit that review button... come on... you know you waaaaaant to. ;) 


	21. Manly Bed Duties

A/N - WOW. So. Last time we posted was JUNE. And now it's... October. I don't know what to say but what a crazy summer we both had! We both missed writing this story and were having a lot of trouble working through plot issues and working out what we wanted to do about the characters... ok ok, AND we got lazy. But would you believe that we were getting reviews and NEW ones for this all the way up to the end of August? It's really amazing. One of the biggest reasons (aside from the Charlie/Bill fun Jenni and I have when we write this) we really pushed to finish this chapter is you guys. So thanks. And let us know you're reading, ok?  
  
Thank Yous - (chronological order in case you were wondering... there were a LOT of 'em!)  
  
Zoe - 2x4?? Humph. I mean really. You'd think this WHOLE thing wasn't ALL Charlie's fault. *realizes people are listening* Right, er... Look! Another Chapter! Right down there!  
  
Lily - Lily? *dusts off a stone statue labeled 'Waiting Expectantly' that looks REMARKABLY like Lily* Wow. It has been a while, huh. Well, maybe George can make it up to you... *angelic look*  
  
El - shaddup. I'm depressed. Ok, so that excuse is only valid as of yesterday, but STILL. Here it is, and it's good, and I read your stories and... yeah. :)  
  
Heather R. - here's hoping this is still on your radar! We're working on things... I think you'll like this one. I really do. Hmm, no, Harry and Hermione (shh Lily) do not have a thing in this story. But we haven't really been pushing the kids, since they're not the main characters, you know?  
  
Alya - so this was a flame, huh? Never gotten one before. Just so the rest of you know, it was for chapter 18 the fight. Now, this chapter has taken a long time to write because of many things, but one of them was really wanting to resolve some of the tension in a realistic way, because I was very proud of that fight. Hmm, but anyway, I guess I'd just say explanations for Nancy's flipping out follow, and I count you as a very lucky person if you've never had a fight slip out of your control and turn into something a lot nastier than it should have been. ;)  
  
Jazzy - WOO HOO! New reader! Well, a new reader from a long long time ago. GEEZ, we've got to work on this three and a half month delay thing.  
  
Quilly - my that's quite a rant there. Don't you look familiar?? No lamp breaking. ;) Just read on for answers to your questions.  
  
LOUISA - *tackles her for a big ol hug* If you're wondering why just go read her chapter 20 review... bring popcorn and a comfortable chair... it's almost as fun as reading the story, for goodness sakes. Ok, well, um... no towels in this one, but... how about Harry-in-a-kitchen? Didn't think that'd be the same... oh well. ;)  
  
Ronspawn - talk about being behind on stories! I should go catch up on yours. Anywho... I'm glad you like Noelle, and Fred will never live down his adorableness in THIS chapter. Read on.  
  
Psiana - oh PLEASE tell me you haven't forgotten about this story!! We'd HATE to lose your reviews, they're SO MUCH FUN. Anywho, one can of wizard whup-ass coming right up! Or is there... ;)  
  
Fracindy - HMM. I dunno if I can back you up, I'm sort of busy with the Charlie detail, here... you might have to deal with Percy on your own. ;) ANY way... nice long fun review and I hope you like this one.  
  
Margaret - remember us?? *hopeful look* Hope this update doesn't give you a heart attack!! Er... fluff. Right. You want FLUFF. *skims chapter* Hmm. *looks at Jenni* Well... maybe? How about this I LIKE this chapter.  
  
Jess - DAMN it. You win. Three months. Shut up and read now. And send me tea. For no good reason, just cause.  
  
Mkt - another new reader! "now, is it going to be Nancy or Charlie who finally gets some sense and has a real talk instead of fighting over nothing!" THAT my friend is a very good question. :) And... moving on to your review of 20... we're really two people. Although, you just have to take my word for it. My word on MY love of redheads. ;)  
  
MrsPitt - HI! My real name is ALSO Nancy. Oddly enough. ;) We Nancy's rock. And Jenni and I both wanted to say thanks for the compliment about our writing. It's always nice to hear.  
  
Pantherocker - Not too much happened... *looks at Charlie and Nancy on the ground in Knockturn Alley* Well, if you say so. ;) I know what you mean, though... we're working through something in the story and it DID get a bit bogged down despite our best efforts. I think this will be a better chapter.  
  
Jennifer M - I don't think you reviewed ON ff.net, but I did get an email from you, so HEY, I figure I'll include you in the thank yous. :) THANKS for reading and I know this took forever but I hope you enjoy!  
  
TABBY! - yo, girl! :) I'd forgotten that you'd reviewed! Luv ya!  
  
BMW - I don't mind saying that you gave me a mild heart attack when you said that our story had stopped LOADING... but it's all good. And I'm glad you enjoyed it! Glad to have another reader.  
  
Aidenfire - LOL! You KILLED me with your little comment from Chapter 12 sturdy dragon tamer... STUDLY dragon tamer... such an easy mistake to make. ;) Hope you keep reading!!  
  
Wolvesaremylife1 - Hello! Thank you so much for the nice words about this story... we've worked really hard to just have fun with it and stay realistic in terms of the characters. It's always nice to know that it's working.  
  
Suzanne - Hi! Another new reader! Woo hoo!! I don't know if there's any way we can update SLOWER than we have been, so hopefully your wish will come true! ;)  
  
Littlewolf - Hey, there! Long time no see! Waaait a minute, you're taking HIS side in this?? Humph. Typical - just cause he's a studly dragon man with red hair and blue eyes and is sweet and noble and funny and... ok ok, fine, I see your point.  
  
Let the story begin!!!  
  
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Bill made it back to Nancy's apartment in record time. His heart was pounding as he flung the door open and yelled for Jenni. Not hearing an answer, Bill went through the apartment calling Jenni's name as he opened each door. The knot in his stomach grew exponentially as it slowly sunk in that she wasn't there. In fact, Bill noted, the apartment looked exactly the same as it had when he and Nancy had left for the burrow.  
  
"Damn!" Bill's voice echoed throughout the empty apartment. With a frustrated sigh, he sat on the couch and rested his head in his hands. He'd been so sure that he would find Jenni as soon as he opened the door, that she would be sitting on the sofa safe and sound.  
  
Bill stood back up and began pacing the tiny room. Meredith had said Jenni had kept looking over her shoulder, like someone was following her. Had someone been following her? Was that why she hadn't made it back to the apartment yet? Bill shook his head furiously and muttered a few choice words. All this worrying was causing him to think irrationally. He was just being paranoid. Charlie and Nancy had probably run into Jenni in Knockturn Alley.  
  
At the thought of Charlie, Bill turned to the clock and let out another round of four letter words that would have had Molly Weasley washing his mouth out with soap. He was supposed to have met Charlie and Nancy over 30 minutes ago. Grabbing the cloak he had hastily deposited on a nearby chair, Bill headed to the Burrow with a pop.  
  
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Nancy felt them hit the ground with a thud, her hip throbbed where it crashed into the pavement. Taking a second to catch her breath, she took stock of the situation.  
  
"Yellow... what's a yellow..." she was muttering out loud, racking her brain for a spell that would have a yellow beam. Charlie shifted slightly and moaned, and Nancy struggled to rein in her panic. He was obviously not DEAD. "That would be green..." Thus, identifying the spell seemed a little less urgent than...  
  
"Nancy," Charlie's voice sounded rough and unused, "we have to MOVE."  
  
...getting out of here. "Obviously. Problem is, you're sort of first in line for that." Nancy bit her lip as she realized that she was still snapping at him. Here she was, protected by his body, his hand cradling her head so that she didn't hit it as they fell, and she was still annoyed with him? "If... if you CAN move, I mean."  
  
As she waited for his answer, Nancy turned her head to watch the feet make their way around the two of them. It didn't look like anyone had even noticed their fall. Had it been a hit and run? Maybe... if they were lucky, maybe the man was gone already.  
  
A shower of purple sparks and an explosion of gravel to the left of them re- ignited her panic.  
  
"Dammit, he's still there!" Nancy reached for her wand, but her hands were trapped under... "Charlie? Get bloody OFF of me!"  
  
Charlie glowered down at her. "As much as I am ENJOYING this position," Nancy felt her face go bright red despite herself as he said that, "I would be glad to move. I just seem to have... lost the use of my arms."  
  
"Well that's just fantastic." More purple sparks created a spray of gravel that was much closer than the last. "Bloody hell... ok. Legs still working?"  
  
Charlie nodded tersely.  
  
"Well, if you kneel I should be able to slide up enough to at least get to my wand."  
  
"Don't do anything stupid," he grunted out as she pushed hard on his chest, helping build the momentum to bring him upright. Scrambling out from the VERY embarrassing position that left her in, Nancy dashed in front of him, red-faced but wand at the ready.  
  
"Go! I'll hold him off for a minute!" She scanned the crowd, spotting their attacker in the upper window of the apothecary. "How'd he get up - STUPEFY! - there?" Groaning as her spell missed the man by about a foot, she glanced behind her. Charlie was right where she'd left him.  
  
"Is there a reason you haven't moved?" A red bolt came so close to her ear that she could feel the heat of it whizzing by her. Behind her, she could hear Charlie cursing under his breath. "Right about NOW would be a good time... IMPEDIMENTIA!"  
  
Her spell hit the white light that was heading for her and resulted in a burst of flame that sent even the stony-faced Knockturn Alley denizens scurrying for side streets and buildings. Charlie was edging sideways, but on his knees. Thoroughly exasperated, she spun around and grabbed his arm.  
  
"UP! Get UP!" Helped along by the good yank she gave to his arms, Charlie shot to his feet unsteadily, leaving her with her arms around him. Amazingly, despite all the angry words and hurt feelings, she couldn't think of anywhere else she'd rather be right then. That was, until she realized that they were pretty much the only two in the street and that there was not only a nasty wizard shooting curses and hexes at them but a magical fire. Nancy regretfully stepped away from his warm body. Charlie swayed as she let go, making her look up at his face - it was contorted in pain.  
  
"Charlie... what is it?" Hearing an explosion behind her, Nancy spun for a second, firing off a hex that finally shattered the window the jerk was hiding behind before leaning close to hear the words he ground out.  
  
"It's getting worse. Some sort of... petrify. Spreading..." he looked past her at the fire and the shattered window before muttering low, "I need your help."  
  
"You can't move at ALL?" She stared at him for a moment, the panic rushing into her system before a narrowing of his eyes and the pain of a severing charm hitting her arm brought reality rushing back. Blinking back tears, Nancy checked to be sure that her arm was still intact (it was... basically) and began revising her plan.  
  
"Ok, how about this? I'm going to take off this stupid long cloak," Charlie glared at her and started to say something but Nancy ignored him, pulling it over her head as she continued. "And then I'm going to set that damn building on fire, and I'm mobilicorpusing your arse out of here."  
  
"Unless..." She paused. Maybe, just maybe it hadn't been a dark spell and she could just reverse it. Pointing her wand at Charlie she muttered "Finite Incantatum" and held her breath. Nothing happened. Charlie's face fell and Nancy stifled a groan. Back to the plan, then.  
  
She glanced across the street at the apothecary where the wizard was hiding. It WAS a criminal offense to destroy property... but she highly doubted that the owners of that store were victims of circumstance. "Probably both went to death eater camp together in their youth or something... Incendio!"  
  
A couple of well-placed charms later, the building was burning heavily. Smoke started to pour out of the broken window, and there hadn't been any more curses thrown at them for a few minutes now. Her heart caught in her throat as she considered the possibility that the man was lying trapped in that upper room, dying by her hand, but she pushed it aside. He had probably just run out a back door or disapparated, damn him.  
  
Turning back to Charlie, she paled. He could barely move his face now, and it was frozen in that incredibly pained look. He was staying upright from sheer force of will and good balance. "Listen... where should I take you? Who will know what to do?"  
  
"Burrow. Nancy..." he paused, fighting another grimace of pain. "... just apparate."  
  
"Charlie," she whispered, "you can't apparate, you'll splice yourself! It's safer to-"  
  
"Use... use a bonding spell. You take us both."  
  
Nancy had never used a bonding spell outside of practice with houseplants. They wouldn't teach them at Hogwarts since you had to be able to apparate to practice and you couldn't take your apparition tests until you'd finished school. Still... he had a point. Dragging him to a floo spot would waste valuable time, and might be dangerous on top of it.  
  
"All right, but if you wind up missing any vital body parts, don't say I didn't warn you." Glancing around to make sure there was no one to interfere while she was casting the spells, Nancy muttered, "Here goes nothing..."  
  
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Bill reached the burrow and was headed for the door when someone's voice broke into his thoughts. Following the animated sound of one of his brothers in fine form, he went around the corner of the house and found Ron sporting an ungodly orange Chudley Cannons shirt with two large C's emblazoned across the front. He was retelling what he obviously thought was a spectacular quidditch play to Hermione who was rolling her eyes and looked about ready to make a run for it. Despite his sour mood, Bill smirked as his younger brother's antics before clearing his throat to announce his presence.  
  
"Have either of you seen Charlie or Nancy?"  
  
Hermione shook her head, and Bill fought back a growl of frustration. Ron shook his head also. "No, but mum's inside talking to..."  
  
Bill's mood was bordering dangerously close to extremely irritated as he walked away, completely ignoring the fact that Ron thought he was telling him something important. He wasn't worried about visitors at the moment. He was only interested in finding Jenni and he had hoped Charlie and Nancy had accomplished that.  
  
Heading inside, Bill ran smack into Fred and George, who'd been huddled together, conversing in hushed tones over something. Both boys jumped at the sight of their older brother and gave very practiced innocent looks.  
  
Bill wasn't biting. "Charlie. Nancy. Seen them?"  
  
Apparently the twins were expecting something quite different and took a moment to register the question.  
  
Fred regained his composure first. His well thought out and intelligent response was, "You're looking for Charlie?"  
  
Now beyond extremely irritated, Bill let his sarcasm out full force. "No, I just thought I'd ask if you'd seen him and then carry on with my life as if nothing had happened. Dammit, Fred, how about a straight answer?"  
  
George elbowed Fred hard in the ribs causing his twin to wince and glare at him. "No we haven't seen Charlie."  
  
"What about Nancy?" Bill couldn't think of a good reason that she would be here when Charlie wasn't, but he was desperate enough not to care. When Fred opened his mouth again, Bill held up his hand. "Yes or no, please."  
  
"Well... no."  
  
"Bloody hell. And Mum's where?" He pinned George with a stare.  
  
"Er... upstairs, but she's with-"  
  
Bill pushed by the twins with a sound of dismissal. His day was going from bad to progressively worse and his mood was going right along with it. He stormed through the doorway leading away from the kitchen and was just glancing up at the sound of the hands on the clock moving. Bill never had the chance to notice Charlie's hand moving from 'traveling' to 'mortal peril' because he was too busy turning towards the sound of Jenni's voice.  
  
"...you really think so?"  
  
One moment Jenni was standing up to follow Molly Weasley to the kitchen and the next minute she found herself surrounded by Bill's arms and his lips covering hers. Neither of them noticed Molly Weasley slip quietly into the kitchen. Bill pulled back from Jenni after a moment, holding her at arm's length and searching her face for any sign that she had been harmed.  
  
"Are you ok? You're not hurt or anything?"  
  
Jenni was rather pleasantly confused as to what the occasion for the kiss had been, but the look on Bill's face made his words register and worry unfurled in her gut.  
  
"I'm fine, what-"  
  
That was all Jenni managed to say before she found herself back in Bill's arms. She may not have been sure of what was going on but Jenni was positive that she felt Bill tremble slightly as he pulled her closer to him. In an effort to comfort whatever was wrong, she put her arms around him. He was kissing her with a tenderness she had never felt before and at the same time he was holding on to her as if afraid she would vanish into thin air. This time it was Jenni who pulled back from the embrace after a moment. "Bill, what is going on? Why did you ask if I was hurt?"  
  
Bill looked down at her and then stepped back to stare out of the window. An uneasy suspicion was growing in Jenni's mind, as she considered the possible reasons Bill might have thought she was in danger. But it wasn't like he knew she had stopped by Knockturn Alley. Still, she wondered guiltily, could there be any other explanation?  
  
"Do you have any idea how worried I was about you? What I went through at Nancy's apartment when I realized you weren't there? What the hell were you thinking, sneaking around Knockturn Alley like that?"  
  
Jenni blanched. How could she have been so stupid as to think that between Nancy and Bill, no one would figure out where she'd gone? And it was pretty evident that they'd figured it out, if the worry still lurking in his eyes was any indicator. She had never been good at ignoring her conscience and it was catching up with her fast as she briefly considered how she would react to Bill or Nancy running off to Knockturn Alley without backup. Never one to stint on apologies, she was opening her mouth to explain how wrong she'd been when Bill waved her off and continued shooting questions at her.  
  
"Do you realize that Death Eater that attacked you at Nancy's apartment could have been there? And what would you have done if the same lunatic that attacked Nancy came after you instead?" Now that the relief of finding Jenni safe at the burrow was starting to ebb away, Bill's imagination was running free with the what-ifs, and each scene he envisioned in his head made him see red.  
  
Jenni's head shot up, all thoughts of apologizing gone. "What do you mean, 'attacked Nancy'? What are you talking about?"  
  
Bill narrowed his eyes. Surely Nancy had told Jenni about that. "The night of the party. Nancy was attacked here..."  
  
Bill watched as an answering temper flared in Jenni's blue eyes. When she spoke it was with a deceptively even tone. "Oddly enough, no one mentioned anything to me. But that's totally understandable, really. I mean, it's not like I'm a mature, capable adult who has any stake in the situation at ALL. I'm sure that keeping me in the dark was entirely necessary."  
  
"Jenni, it wasn't like that," Bill walked over to her but she pushed him away with a force that caught him off guard and caused him to stumble back a bit.  
  
"I've had enough of this. I'm sick of all the lies and secrets." Jenni grabbed her cloak and headed down the stairs. "You'd think you were a spy, and I was on the wrong bloody side!"  
  
Bill grabbed Jenni's hand as she started through the kitchen. "Jenni, don't go back to Nancy's apartment alone. Let me go with you."  
  
Glaring at where he held her hand, Jenni turned slowly to look at him. "I'm not going to Nancy's apartment, I'm going to MY apartment. Alone."  
  
Bill was about to say something else, when a loud pop made him look over her shoulder to where his mother was standing, white-faced. Charlie had nearly apparated on top of her, he realized with a grin - poor guy had never been very accurate. It wasn't until he started forward that he realized that Charlie wasn't moving, and that the arm that led to the other side of his brother belonged to Nancy, who was supporting his entire weight.  
  
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The Weasley house had never been so quiet. That was the first thing Nancy registered as she felt her feet hit solid ground again. For a panicked moment she thought that she had apparated to the wrong house and she was going to have to apparate all over again - and waste precious minutes reworking the bonding spell. Charlie couldn't go through that again. She glanced up at him and saw that he was completely unconscious. The apparating must have been too much for him and now she'd gone and screwed THAT up...  
  
"What happened?"  
  
The stunned voice of Mrs. Weasley cut through her worries and Nancy twisted her head around to look at her. Behind her were most, if not all, of the Weasleys - their pale complexions looking even pastier than usual. She noticed Jenni standing next to Bill with an inner sigh of relief; at least something had gone right today. Out of instinct she tried to move towards them, but she stumbled as the full weight of the man she was all but carrying hit her.  
  
"Bill! George! Help her, please!" Nancy could hear the tremble in the Weasley matriarch's voice, but Molly Weasley looked totally in control as she stepped forward to support Nancy. "Take him up to his room, I'll be right behind you." The two redheads jerked out of their stunned silence and moved up to lift Charlie's limp weight off of her. The other twin moved as if to follow, but his mother shook her head at him and he stayed where he was.  
  
They all stood there for a moment, watching the three brothers disappear up the stairs. With each step they took, Nancy's self-control fell apart a little bit more - she'd gotten him home, that's what she'd promised to do. Surely they couldn't want the girl whose stupidity was to blame for his injuries to stay around. She couldn't believe they hadn't thrown her out already... if only she hadn't been so ashamed to ask for help. If she'd just THOUGHT about what she was doing, writing to Knockturn Alley for illegal potions ingredients! Or maybe, if she'd just kept her mouth shut today and let Charlie do the search his way... it had just been so hard to know what to do with him so cold and angry.  
  
A sob rose up in her throat, and Nancy suddenly realized that the rest of the Weasley family was standing there, waiting for an explanation. She couldn't do it - couldn't tell these people how stupid she had been, how it really was...  
  
"...all my fault."  
  
A clucking noise from Mrs. Weasley told her that she'd spoken aloud without realizing it. Mortified and unable to hold the tears back any longer, Nancy whispered, "I'm so sorry..." and ran for the back door.  
  
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Nancy didn't stop running until she'd reached the Quidditch field - the scene of one of her other memorable moments, if she recalled correctly. Thinking of that fight and Charlie coming after her at Hogwarts, making her talk to Jenni and work it out brought on another wave of guilt and frustration. Sobbing, she tried to think of a time when she HADN'T been a problem for Charlie Weasley to deal with - right from the start, he'd saved her from the dragon, bandaged her in mid-air, been there to scare the attacker away the night of the party...  
  
Sniffing, she looked up, suddenly struck by how close that encounter would have been to her current hiding place. Nancy shivered and fingered her wand, knowing that there was no one around to help her if he were to show up again. Still, at least she had her wand. A little smile crept to her face as she remembered facing off with their attacker in Knockturn Alley... she'd always wanted to be an Auror, but her rotten vision had disqualified her. It had been nice to be in the thick of things for once, and not just writing about them after the fact.  
  
Her mind drifted, trying to avoid the painful guilt, and she absently started composing a short report on the disturbance in Knockturn Alley. "A short duel between an unknown woman and an occupant of an apothecary of dubious nature..." What had the name of that shop been? It was on the list... she'd know it when she saw it. Hopefully the list was still in Charlie's pocket. "...resulted in a fire damaging the shop and disturbing the peace." Ha. Peace... like there was any of that on Knockturn Alley. More like - ". disturbing the uneasy quiet."  
  
Satisfied with that, she moved on in a standard 'incident notice' format - the exercise was calming. "Both parties fled the scene before they could be identified, witnesses report that there seemed to be one casualty..." her voice faltered, and frustrated, she forced herself to continue. "One casualty, a red-haired man hit in the back with a curse before the fight actually erupted. The curse did not seem aimed at him, but at the other belligerent, and this reporter can only assume that if... if she'd gotten her bloody mouth in gear five seconds earlier... he'd be fine right now..."  
  
A picture of Charlie as she'd last seen him, white and limp, his face frozen in a painful grimace, flashed through her mind and the tears started to roll again.  
  
"He'd have tried to protect you anyway."  
  
The soft voice startled her, and Nancy jumped up, wiping furiously at her eyes with her sleeve.  
  
"That's how I raised my boys. They don't stand by and watch when trouble comes, Nancy. And Charlie..." Mrs. Weasley moved a few steps closer and smiled gently. "Charlie has always had a bit of a thing about saving people."  
  
The older woman's face wasn't showing any of the anger or blame that Nancy felt she deserved, and she found herself crying harder because of it. "You don't understand... ever since we met I've been-"  
  
"The only thing Charlie TALKS about, dear. Or, this last week, the only thing he couldn't bear to talk about because he missed you so badly." Mrs. Weasley reached out her hand to lead Nancy back to the house. When Nancy didn't move, she sighed and walked closer. "I want to tell you a story about Charlie. When he was little, we got him a play broom for his eighth birthday. He loved that broom. He'd zoom around the house, breaking glass and scaring his brothers... Bill never was that enthusiastic about flying. And Percy was so little, but just as broom-crazy as Charlie."  
  
She paused and wiped her eyes, and Nancy realized what the time spent away from her son was costing her. "I'm sorry, you should go back, he needs you..."  
  
"He needs us both, and I believe I was telling a story," Mrs. Weasley replied tartly, regaining her composure. "Well, one day I had to take Bill in for fittings and such at Diagon Alley, for Hogwarts, you know... and Arthur was working so hard. So I left Charlie in charge of Percy for the afternoon with the firm admonition that he was NOT to play with the broom without me there."  
  
"Oh no..." Nancy could picture a pint-sized redhead nodding at his mother until the door closed, and then... "He disobeyed?"  
  
"Not exactly, no. HE didn't play with the broom, but he relented and let Percy play with it - outside where he couldn't break anything. Well, Percy was better with the broom than anyone could have expected, and before Charlie could figure out what was going on, his tiny brother was 40 feet in the air and heading for the forest. By the time that Charlie found him... well, the broken arm healed fast enough but Percy never got on a broom if he didn't have to after that."  
  
Nancy noticed suddenly how dark and cold it had gotten outside. When had the sun gone down? The lights from the Burrow seemed to invite her back, but she still didn't feel like she could face the Weasleys.  
  
Mrs. Weasley didn't seem to notice any inner struggle Nancy was having, and if she did, she didn't mention it, just continued the story.  
  
"Charlie never forgave himself for failing his brother, because at least in his mind that's what had happened. Ever since, he's been the first to run when someone yells for help... or even when they don't ask. He can be a bit pushy about situations that seem dangerous to him." The sideways look she was giving Nancy held a question, one that Nancy could only answer with a grimace.  
  
"Ignoring the fact that his job isn't necessarily on the 'non-dangerous' end of things..." Nancy sighed, only to be interrupted by a grinning Mrs. Weasley.  
  
"A fact I never fail to mention to him."  
  
"... he's been right every time he's been worried about me."  
  
"But just because he's right doesn't justify his take action first, explain later methods. He's never understood that, really. I've never seen my son more frustrated than when he has to 'waste time' explaining his actions or reasoning with someone in order to move them out of danger."  
  
Nancy was starting to feel that Charlie was being unfairly criticized, especially when he wasn't able to defend himself. "But... but sometimes you can't EXPLAIN. Sometimes, people just have to trust you!"  
  
Mrs. Weasley whirled around, her kind face intent and her eyes bright. "You're right, you know. Trust is incredibly important. Do you trust my son, Nancy?"  
  
"Yes..." Nancy was surprised by the question and even more surprised that the answer rolled right off her tongue.  
  
"Then why haven't you spoken to him for the last week? What made you shut him out during that fight? It isn't like you, not as far as I know or from what Jenni has told me."  
  
Nancy's emotions were raw and aching, she could feel the pain of the last week coupled with the fear and confusion of tonight wearing down the careful wall she had worked so hard to build. It wasn't fair, Mrs. Weasley couldn't possibly understand! She was so scared... scared that she would really commit herself to caring about Charlie and be left in the dust when he found someone new to save. Scared that the string of bad luck she'd been having was catching and would reach out and hurt him and his family worse that it had already and make him hate her. Scared that by trying to stay away and protect him she would lose everyone else - even Jenni.  
  
"I... the fight was stupid, over nothing. It just got out of control so fast, and... mostly my fault." Too embarrassed to look into Mrs. Weasley's face as she talked, Nancy started to pace. "I was scared and frustrated, and... just took it all out on him."  
  
"Scared - why? Because of Jenni's injuries?"  
  
"Yes... NO! No, that's not true. She was doing pretty well by then. I was scared because, well, because I'd walked in and overheard something, and it just drove home how bloody DEPENDENT I am on him." Nancy stopped short - she hadn't been prepared for the hoot of laughter.  
  
"Nancy," Molly Weasley fought down her mirth and moved in to make her point, "do you enjoy other people's company? Can you make decisions about food, or clothing, or which book to read, or what to work on, or who to talk to without consulting him first?" At Nancy's roll of the eyes, she pressed on with a grin. "Have you ever taken a personality test?"  
  
"What? I don't understand..."  
  
"Two weeks ago, before the fight, Charlie and Bill snagged one of Ginny's girly magazines while she wasn't looking. They paid for it later, of course, but before she toad-warted them they managed to run through a 'Which Witch are You' test - using what they know about you and Jenni. Apparently, you were firmly in the 'so independent you could have figured this answer out yourself' category."  
  
"It's just a stupid magazine... it doesn't mean-"  
  
"Young lady, if there's anyone outside of my favorite pseudo-son Harry that deserves to be in that category for sheer single-minded stubbornness to do things on your own, it's you." She walked up and took Nancy's shoulders. "And now, you're so terrified of being a burden or a bore that you're refusing to trust Charlie with your fears and problems. You don't need to run to him every time you're stuck on work or can't find your wand under your bed. But you do need to understand that when you bring him a real problem, he is not going to be burdened or bored. And if he acts that way, you have his mother's permission to deck him."  
  
"When he's better, I might just do that anyway. To clear the air, you know?" Mrs. Weasley smiled, and Nancy gave a watery sniffle. "It's just... he started out that night we fought by being concerned about my safety. And it was sweet, except that he kept pounding it until I felt like he didn't have any faith in my common sense or ability to take care of myself. And then... hearing him say all that, all the while KNOWING that he'd be leaving soon anyway to go back to Romania, it was just too much."  
  
Mrs. Weasley cocked an eyebrow. "He said that, did he?"  
  
"No, it's just... that's what I overheard him say. And then he tried to brush it off... he was telling JENNI. That's what hurt most, was that he couldn't even have the heart to tell me first."  
  
Trying to hide her all-knowing mother's smile, Mrs. Weasley gave Nancy a quick hug. "Well, I can tell you one thing."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"When he wakes up he's going to want to see your face, and when he sees your face you have a perfect opportunity to deck him and inform him that no way, no how is he going back to Romania, and that's final." Nancy's choked laugh was enough of an agreement that she continued. "But the only way you're going to be there is if we head back inside and you help Bill figure out how to counteract what happened."  
  
Nancy straightened suddenly, a wild, worried look in her eyes. "Oh no - all this time that we've been standing out here, I forgot! Can you believe it? I didn't tell anyone about the yellow, and what happened, and... oh God, what if we're too late?" Wiping her hand quickly over her eyes she took off for the house.  
  
Mrs. Wealsey waited a moment after Nancy left and then waved her wand, making three numbers appear in the air. "8 minutes 47 seconds... not bad, Molly," she said to herself with a grin. She doubted that her boys had had time to do much more than get Charlie changed and into bed while she had calmed Nancy down. Besides, she was well acquainted with the spells that killed, and paralysis was not part of any of them. Still, her heart was uneasy as she followed Nancy to the house.  
  
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As Bill and George carried Charlie up the stairs, Jenni watched Mrs. Weasley hurry off after Nancy with a feeling of stunned uselessness deep in the pit of her stomach. It was a feeling she had seen echoed on Fred's face as he was gestured back by his mother. Jenni could sympathize - she wasn't used to being left to wait quietly in a crisis. She should have been the one running after Nancy so that Mrs. Weasley could go up and take care of Charlie, but as she watched the older woman stride purposefully after her friend, she had the oddest sense that she'd just be in the way. She was staring blankly out the window after them when a whisper shook her back to reality.  
  
"What happened to Charlie? Is he going to be okay?" The youngest Weasley was so white, and her voice so small that it took Jenni a moment to realize that this was the same Ginny who so often got the best of her prankster brothers.  
  
"I'm... I'm sure your brother will be just fine." Hoping that her voice didn't betray her fear, Jenni glanced around the room at the other faces. The rest of the siblings along with Harry, Hermione, and Noëlle were uncharacteristically quiet, all of them looking as stunned as Jenni felt.  
  
"What can we do?" This time it was Harry who spoke, and Jenni couldn't help but notice that his voice was tinged with frustration and anger. When everyone but Fred turned in her direction, Jenni realized that she was the ranking adult - and obviously was expected to have some sort of plan. She knew the best thing would be to keep each of them busy so they couldn't brood about what was going on, but how on earth would she find enough to keep seven people she barely knew busy? Jenni glanced back out the window and noticed that the sun was setting. It was going to be a long night. Well, first thing's first.  
  
"I need someone who can sit still and do some research," Jenni started off. She looked over at Percy, but to her surprise he reddened and shook his head. Noëlle put her arm around him and whispered something into his ear that had him sending her a grateful look. Jenni was sure it wasn't especially comfortable for him to discover that he didn't feel able to offer himself as the best choice. She turned to the rest of them and was met by several looks being aimed specifically at the second youngest girl, and as if on cue Ron and Harry blurted out, "Hermione!"  
  
Jenni glanced at the girl with bushy hair who was giving death glares to the boys and couldn't help but notice the look of pride that had swept across the young girl's face, or the approval on Percy's. "Are you good with gathering information and facts? This will be pretty boring - lots of lists, and cross referencing, and..."  
  
Ignoring the snort of laughter coming from the opposite end of the room, Jenni watched expectantly as Hermione nodded. "Excellent! Now, I need you to write down anything that might have happened to Charlie - that would give him those symptoms. We need to know if it could have been a curse, a poison, a simple spell, anything that might help us figure out how to cure him."  
  
The brown eyes sparkled, and Jenni felt confident that the young girl knew exactly what she was up against. Now if only she had a library to send her to...  
  
"I've got some books that may be useful." Jenni looked up and wondered if she had voiced her thoughts out loud when Percy continued. "I have all of my books from Hogwarts still, and I've also got several books from the Ministry that might be helpful."  
  
"Leave it to perfect Percy to be a walking library in a time of disaster."  
  
Jenni glared at Fred. She was almost positive he was the source of the muttered insult as well as the earlier laughter, and since she could understand his frustration at being left behind while his twin got to be useful, she decided to ignore the comment. If she reacted, it would most likely turn into a much bigger problem.  
  
"That would be wonderful Percy, and when you come back down - I'll need you to owl your father." She watched as Percy nodded and left the small room followed closely by Noëlle. She had to wonder if he'd be able to lend his considerable brainpower to that endeavor, or if he was so distracted that he needed to do something more physical to take his mind off of what had happened for a while. Something that had always been a great detention when she was head girl at Hogwarts had been to make boys move heavy furniture for no apparent reason without magic until they were too tired to be anything but asleep. But maybe it wouldn't come to that...  
  
"That would be WONDERFUL Percy.."  
  
In a flash Jenni whipped out her wand and with a well aimed "Silencio!" left Fred blinking rather stupidly. To hell with not reacting.  
  
"Now then..." Jenni silently replaced her wand, ignoring the look of shock on Fred's face as he realized that she had no intention of undoing the hex. She winked at Ginny and continued her sentence. "..does anyone know how to cook?"  
  
Fred crossed his arms and had a rather nasty scowl on his face, so Jenni supposed that was a 'No.' Ron and Ginny simply looked at each other and shrugged. Jenni sighed, prepared to try and recreate the spaghetti dinner recipe she'd looked up for Nancy - oh dear lord, the spaghetti dinner she'd started today and then LEFT ON THE STOVE! She was so busy mentally kicking herself for being so foolish - she'd probably started a nasty kitchen fire in Nancy's apartment - that she almost didn't hear Harry volunteer.  
  
"I guess I know how to cook, I just... well, I don't know where everything is here." Harry ran a hand nervously through his already messy hair, making it stick out even more.  
  
Jenni gave what she hoped was a reassuring smile as she debated the wisdom of letting a fifteen year old boy loose in the kitchen alone. "Don't worry about that. We won't need anything difficult. Just some sandwiches, soup, and maybe some tea." She looked over at the three remaining Weasleys. "Besides, I'm sure someone can help find the ingredients."  
  
She noticed that Harry looked first to Ron, who grinned and muttered, "I just eat it, mate, I don't pay attention to where it comes from." Fred remained stony-faced, and Ron gave his younger sister a shove forward. With a roll of her eyes and a shrug, Ginny shot back, "I don't want to hear one WORD about women's work, Ronald Weasley. Honestly."  
  
"Hey, I'll have you remember that I'm the one who volunteered in the first place!" Harry protested, making Ginny grin and follow him into the kitchen.  
  
Running through the catalogue of necessary items to be dealt with in her head, Jenni turned to the two remaining Weasleys. Food - check. Medicine - well, the research that would lead to medicine - check. Clothing - no one had any trouble with that. That left... shelter. There were at least three extra people in a house that had already expanded to hold Charlie, Bill, Harry and Hermione. Now she, Nancy and Noëlle were joining the crowd. Fred still looked as if he would be happier ignoring her so she turned to Ron. "Any idea where all of these excess people are going to sleep tonight?"  
  
Ron raised an eyebrow at Jenni's question and she could see him counting in his head. "Fourteen... whew, there really are a lot of people in this house."  
  
It was more of a statement then a question and Jenni could only nod her head in agreement. She knew that under the current situation no one was going to get much sleep. "Well, since you're much more familiar with the floor plan than I am, maybe you could see what you can do about putting up beds in the rooms that have space?"  
  
Ron seemed about to protest, but then Hermione looked up from her reading to glare at him and he shrugged, heading up the stairs. He was almost to the first landing when he looked back at Fred. "You coming or what?"  
  
Fred rolled his eyes and pointed at his mouth. Jenni grinned at him. "It should wear off in a few minutes anyway. Go ahead."  
  
He narrowed his eyes at her as she gave a quick wink and shooed him up the stairs. "Of course, a brilliant prankster like you surely already knew that," she couldn't help adding, winning a reluctant grin from the boy as he stomped after his younger brother.  
  
Jenni sat down with Hermione to see if she could help organize the research, but found herself distracted and couldn't help getting up to look out of the window to where darkness was falling outside. What had happened? Danger seemed to be following them around lately... Jenni couldn't help but wonder if that was some ironic side effect of getting close to the Weasleys - two of whom, at least, would do so much to help keep them safe. Half-smiling at the paradox, she turned around to see Percy and Noëlle coming down the stairs with loads of books in their arms. They headed straight over to Hermione with them, and Jenni had taken a few steps back across the room when Ron and Fred, both empty-handed, came clomping downstairs.  
  
"All the sheets are dirty," Fred answered her raised eyebrow with a triumphant grin and a rather rusty voice - an after-effect of being silenced magically.  
  
Jenni only smiled back. "That's ok. You two can go ahead and clean them so they'll be ready for tonight."  
  
Ron groaned and elbowed Fred. "I told you we'd have to do it."  
  
"Well, I thought it would work." Fred's voice was a low mutter as the two of them trudged back up the stairs. "Besides, I really think people should make up their OWN beds..."  
  
Jenni's next words brought them to a halt half way up. "What's the matter, boys? Making the beds too girly a job for you?"  
  
Hermione looked up from her book and smirked. Jenni noticed that Ron's face went red at that. Harry and Ginny had stepped out of the kitchen to see what was going on, and both were wearing carefully neutral expressions.  
  
"Well, considering that you probably have MUCH more experience in these matters than we do... it would certainly go faster if you did it." Fred's expression was speculative. "I'm sure I could take over down here."  
  
Jenni just grinned. She knew what would happen if she went upstairs after that remark. She'd come down and find a bunch of overgrown canaries destroying the first floor of the Burrow, all in the interest of cheering people up, of course. So, Fred Weasley thought he was the only one who could lighten the mood with a prank, did he? Well, she wasn't best friends with Nancy Gwin for nothing. With a quick flick of her wand, both boys were wearing bright pink aprons with frills. Across the front, in shiny cursive letters, it read:  
  
MANLY BED DUTY  
  
"There, that should help. Go ahead and get started," she giggled, feeling only a little bad when she saw Ron's aggrieved look. He hadn't really done anything wrong... with another flick she made his apron blue. His purpled face moved a few shades back towards normal and she gave him a wink.  
  
As Ron and Fred gave up and went upstairs, Jenni turned to find Hermione, Harry and Ginny trying to suppress their laughter. Percy just looked smug, but Noëlle had given in and was laughing hysterically. "Percy..." she gasped as she tried to get her breath back, "Je ne crois pas... I don't think the men of your family should wear pink!"  
  
At this, everyone let loose. Percy just rolled his eyes and left the room, but Jenni had the feeling that he was trying to get out of sight so that he could laugh without his siblings knowing about it. Jenni was grinning after him when George came bounding down the stairs.  
  
"How is he, George?" Ginny's smile faded slightly as she stepped forward, her small face pale.  
  
"Not much change... Bill said there wasn't much I could do, so I should go find the rest of you and see if Nancy is around." At Jenni's quick shake of her head, he sighed. "Ok, then. I'd better go tell him. Hey, before I do though, does anyone know where I can sign up for Manly Bed Duties like Fred and Ron? Sounds like fun."  
  
It was a few minutes before everyone finished wiping tears from their faces and managed to control the laughter enough to explain to George what exactly "Manly Bed Duties" entailed. As soon as understand dawned, George switched gears and started drilling Jenni on which transfiguration spell she had used to get that particular effect with the aprons. "It could be useful, you know... prank gift - say a sweater that turns into something else after half an hour of wearing it! The possibilities... We'd sell hundreds!" He was halfway up the stairs when he suddenly turned to Jenni with a serious look. "Do you think I could still get one of those aprons?"  
  
Jenni blinked, momentarily taken by surprise. "Sure, but I get to pick the color."  
  
George seemed unfazed by this news and shrugged. "That's ok. I'm not worried about the color. I just want an apron."  
  
Jenni grinned and with a wave of her wand, George was sporting a pale lavender apron with just as many frills. This did nothing to dampen his spirits and as he lifted the edges of the apron and read the cursive writing his grin broadened. "Excellent! She'll love this." With a wave, he headed upstairs.  
  
Still smiling, Jenni turned to Noëlle. "Did Percy go to owl his father, because-"  
  
Suddenly everyone in the room jumped when a fairly loud explosion accompanied some purple and blue smoke out of the kitchen doorway. Her heart racing, Jenni pulled out her wand - visions of over-dramatic villains who apparated in clouds of flame made her voice sharp as she ordered, "Stay BACK!" and rushed into the other room.  
  
The smoke was so thick that her eyes were watering, but Jenni could tell that there wasn't anything wrong in the kitchen besides some overdone toast by the smell of burnt bread that hung in the air. Relaxing, she put her wand away and turned to tell the others it was safe, almost stumbling over Harry who was directly behind her with Noëlle, Ginny and Hermione crowding behind him. Everyone started talking at once.  
  
"Harry, I TOLD you that thing wasn't a normal toaster!"  
  
"Well, you didn't know what ELSE it was, so I thought we could at least try..."  
  
"Honestly, haven't you two heard of DIRECTIONS?"  
  
"Mon dieu... quelle catastrophe! And we're supposed to eat what they make?" Noëlle's voice was dryly amused as she met Jenni's glare.  
  
"I THOUGHT I told you all to wait outside," she snapped.  
  
"Well, yes, but you're in a house full of Gryffindors - the last thing you should expect here is for someone to listen to orders," Noëlle rolled her eyes in the direction of the smoking toaster-like device  
  
Jenni sighed and tried to take stock of the situation. "Well, I'll help you two clean up... Noëlle, can you track down Percy and ask him if he'd mind helping? Maybe then you can work with Hermione for a few minutes?" The blonde gave her a quick smile and headed out of the smoky kitchen behind Hermione, who looked a rather relieved to not have been drafted for kitchen duty.  
  
Harry and Ginny set to collecting the charred bits of toast from around the room while Jenni opened a window and said a gentle wind spell to clear the air. She was just closing the window when Noëlle came back through the doorway, dragging Percy behind her.  
  
"We'll finish in here, you should go back out and help Hermione," she said, giving Jenni a look that didn't allow for argument. Jenni considered protesting the sudden usurpation of her role as boss of the kitchen, but as she watched the four of them at work, she figured that she really would be one pair of hands too many and headed out to see about the research.  
  
She was halfway across the room when footsteps made her turn to find Bill walking down the stairs looking worn and worried. Noëlle must have seen him coming, she thought with a smile - what a sneaky girl. She took a moment to just look at him, and despite all the worry and frustration and even the anger that still simmered between them, she had to admit that he was one fine specimen. He stopped just before reaching the bottom of the stairs and surveyed the room. His eyes glanced over Hermione still sitting at the table and stopped on Jenni.  
  
"Have you seen Mum?"  
  
Jenni noticed Bill's voice seemed rather detached and strained. Her insides lurched; what if Charlie's condition was getting worse? They couldn't let that happen. Jenni tried to keep her voice steady as she spoke. "I think she's still outside talking to Nancy."  
  
Bill nodded but instead of heading back upstairs or out the door to find his mum, he sat on the stairs and let his head fall into his hands. Not knowing what else to do, Jenni went and sat on the steps next to him - she had cooled down enough to know that the anger of earlier was something they could work through. It was still important to her, and she doubted she'd like some of the answers he gave her, but at the moment, getting through this crisis took precedence over her hurt feelings.  
  
"How's Charlie?" she asked softly.  
  
Bill slowly lifted his head from his hands. He didn't look at Jenni but when he finally spoke his voice was strangely calm. "He'll be all right once we figure out what happened. He's just in a lot of pain right now."  
  
Jenni's heart sank. There wasn't a thing she could say to that, so she only reached over and took his hand, sitting quietly while he held on, lost in his own thoughts. When Bill spoke again his voice was lighter and held an edge of curiosity. "Where is everyone else?"  
  
Jenni decided a quick play-by-play was the best route to take. "Ron, Fred and George are getting beds ready, Percy owled your father, and he's helping Harry, Ginny and Noëlle in the kitchen..." she trailed off, wondering if she should mention WHY there were four people in the kitchen right now. That could be embarrassing...  
  
Bill shot Jenni a look of admiration. "You actually got that lot to listen to you? Mum will be impressed."  
  
Jenni felt her face heating up and shrugged. "It wasn't that hard. I only had to hex Fred once and no one else gave me any trouble." Her heart lifted when she saw that Bill was smiling.  
  
"You hexed Fred? You do realize that could be very dangerous to your health?"  
  
"In most cases, yes... but I think he and I have come to an understanding of sorts."  
  
Still smiling, Bill reached over and brushed a wisp of hair out of her face. He froze for a moment, staring at her, before his grin faded. His face took on the worried look from before and Jenni felt her stomach clench with despair. She had no idea what to do or say, and there was an aching feeling of hopelessness knowing that short of curing Charlie there was nothing she could do that would take away his worry.  
  
"Jenni, I'm sorry." Bill's voice had broken through the silence and Jenni slowly sat up straighter, lifting her head away from the crooked banister of the stairs she had been leaning against.  
  
"Sorry for what? You didn't do anything." Jenni looked at Bill in confusion.  
  
"For earlier. I thought that Nancy had told you what had happened that night. If I had known... I wouldn't have said anything. It wasn't really my place." Bill stopped talking and let out a deep breath.  
  
Jenni stared at Bill. His brother was upstairs seriously injured and here he was apologizing... well, quasi apologizing. She fought back the annoyance that he didn't recognize what really bothered her - the fact that she wasn't part of the need-to-know team. This was really not the time, and yet, here he was, willing to sit with her and work it out. It took a moment for Jenni to find her voice. "We can talk about that later. Right now we need to concentrate on reversing whatever happened to Charlie."  
  
Bill made a frustrated sound in his throat and reached over to pull her into his arms. Jenni sighed as she let herself snuggle closer to him, giving comfort even while she was taking it. They sat there in silence for a moment and then Jenni asked softly, "What do we know so far?"  
  
Without releasing her, Bill said, "It looks like some sort of paralysis... slow or instantaneous, I don't know."  
  
"Nancy will. She'll be able to tell us that, at least."  
  
Bill nodded into her hair. "Yeah, if it's instantaneous than it's some sort of bastardization of the Petrificus Totalis... and it looks like they managed to cross that with a Crucio."  
  
Jenni swallowed, hard. She remembered how that burned through ever fiber of your body. "And if it's slow?"  
  
"That's the thing... I just can't put a finger on the spell they'd have used. It's possible that it's one I just don't know," he sighed, frustrated and worried.  
  
"Listen, Bill..." Jenni stayed wrapped in his arms but twisted slightly so that she was looking into his startling blue eyes. "Nancy's good. She'll have noticed things that will help, I'm sure of it. Besides, I give her probably another two minutes before it hits her that Charlie needs her help and she comes running back through that door."  
  
Bill pulled Jenni closer to him, tucking her head under his chin. "I hope you're right."  
  
Jenni let herself rest against Bill's chest and listened to the slow rhythmic beating of his heart. "I'm right."  
  
She knew from experience that Nancy's memory was excellent with the trivial - her best friend was a fount of useless knowledge most of the time. But, she also had a knack for remembering when it counted - Jenni couldn't count the number of times Nancy's photographic memory of Snape's classroom BEFORE she'd blown it to bits had eased the task of putting it back together afterwards. She'd bet everything she owned that Nancy had the entire scene of whatever had happened to Charlie frozen in her memory in sharp relief. She'd probably relive it in nightmares for weeks. No, she wouldn't have forgotten an important detail like how the curse had first affected Charlie. Mulling over those thoughts, Jenni's eyes landed on Hermione who was flipping determinedly through a rather large book.  
  
As if feeling Jenni's eyes on her, Hermione turned around looking a bit embarrassed. "I... I overheard you two talking. I'm sorry. But it's given me an idea. I thought that maybe I could find something by cross- referencing petrifying spells with other spells."  
  
Jenni reluctantly pulled away from Bill to see what Hermione had found. "Are you having any luck yet?"  
  
"Well," Hermione pursed her lips together. "There are a lot of cases where it has been done. The tricky part is to determine exactly which two, or in some cases which three spells have been used together."  
  
Jenni sat down next to Hermione. Those boys definitely knew what they were talking about when they suggested Hermione for research. "You can do that? With three spells I mean? I've heard of using two together."  
  
Hermione shrugged. She looked back and forth from Jenni to Bill who had come to stand behind Jenni. "I guess it can be done. So far in the books I've looked in it mentions them briefly. Apparently it's very common in dark arts."  
  
Jenni paled slightly. If Nancy and Charlie had rushed off to Knockturn Alley in search of her then they were very likely to encounter some very dark arts. Biting back her guilt she asked another question. "Have you found anything specific to Charlie's symptoms?"  
  
Hermione shook her head. "Most of the spells I've crossed referenced have a lot of the same symptoms. The only difference is how fast or how slow the paralysis occurred. In other cases the amount of pain varied from very little to extremely painful. We really need to know the exact details. How soon the pain started, if the paralysis was immediate... that sort of thing."  
  
"We can be almost certain that Crucio is part of whatever mix we're talking about." Bill's voice was tight, but he was watching them with interest.  
  
"Yes, but the other spells that might combine with it are so varied that trying to combat them all would be impossible - we have to at least cut out the fast/slow factor..." Hermione looked down at her notes with a troubled expression.  
  
"So basically we're at a standstill until we talk to..." Jenni sighed and slumped back into a chair, sharing a frustrated look with Bill. In the next moment, the door flew open to reveal a very anxious looking Nancy, her eyes wide and determined.  
  
There was a moment of tense silence as everyone turned to look at her. Nancy raced for the stairs, and looked straight up at Bill. "Where is he? Listen - I'm such an idiot... You have to let me tell you what happened!"  
  
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A/N - Still there? Goood... now you know that your reviews rock and we love to get them. They're like payoff for THREE MONTHS of hard labor... *angel face* So do us ALL a favor and give Jenni something to answer in our next chapter (cause she is SO doing the thank yous and notes... it's VERY MUCH her turn) by clicking on that little button down there. :) 


	22. Howler YOU doin?

OH BOY! It's been quite a while since we've updated this and I really don't think we have a good excuse. Let's see... Nancy and I have both read book 5, (I've read it at least 3 times), and we've seen Prisoner of Azkaban. (ANY ONE got a shot of that pic in the Daily Prophet?? I've only seen the movie once and it was too quick for me to get a good look at Bill...) So... unless we're waiting for book 6... I don't guess we really have a reason not to continue this. Actually, you can all thank Nancy for this chapter. The third movie has inspired her and without her I'm not much motivation. So... while everyone hero worships Nancy, on with the Thank You's.

(annoyed note from Nancy as she tries to post this up - They went and changed the upload thing on me! I can't get asteriks to load up, and it would appear that we need to use their "horizontal rules" now to divide the story. Double ones are between the A/N and the story. I'm going to try bold/italic to replace the asteriks... rowr.)

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Anora!! We're so glad you keep up with our story. Hopefully we'll be posting on a more regular basis. 

Copperstring: Hmmmm, I don't think you'll get much Draco/Ginny out of us. Not that we don't support that... (I personally go for most pairings as long as its well written and Davesmom has lots of good Draco/Ginny stories...) But we're really glad you found our story. Hope you keep reading!!!

Icea: Another stumbler! Heee heee... I'll let you fight Nancy for Charlie... as for Bill... glad you're enjoying his character too! Just remember... He is mine!! ;)

Psiana: Oh dear... one of my most favorite reviewers and I can just hear you berating us for taking so long on this chapter. Can we ever make it up to you?? **_Throws herself at Psiana's feet begging for forgiveness_** It will never happen again!!! I solemnly swear our next chapter will be out sooner. (At least it will be if Nancy wouldn't work so much!!)

Shahrezad1: Woo hoo!! Another new reader... and we've probably took too long to get this next chapter out and now you've forgotten all about our wonderful story...**_sigh_**

Tigger-180: I like those short and sweet reviews. To the point! Bloody Awesome!! Keep reading!!

Jeff: Glad you've decided to review our story!! Now this means we have every right to harass you for reviews, make you beg for new chapters and actually maybe even get to know you! ;)

Emma AKA Littlewolf4: If you enjoyed the last chapter I think you'll really get a kick out of this chapter. It was very fun to write. And yes... I know... giving George and Fred more ideas for pranks may not be the best idea in the world... but hey... I really don't think they needed much help. Do you? Ha ha! P.S. Feel free to use Jenni and Nancy anyway you want for your story. Just give us a link to it and we'll review!!

Ronsspawn: You've read our minds. Nancy and I have been discussing how slow the story is going.... the day by day thing is a bit too much and it will be picking up speed! Thanks for the info. It's always nice to get input on what's annoying. We'll be working extra hard on that!

Carrie! Glad to see you're still reading the story! Hee hee... yes... me... in charge of a house full of Weasleys... pretty scary stuff! And don't worry about Charlie... He's just gotta worry about... oh well... nevermind... best if you read the chapter and find out for yourself!

Drucilla: Glad you like our story!!! We hope you keep reading!! It's always nice to hear comments from new readers!

Louisa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HEEE HEEE!!! _**Pokes Louisa to make sure she's breathing **_I see you're frantic over the bit of time Harry has been spending with Ginny! Never fear!! We will not let you down. You may yet see Harry in a towel...just not in this chapter! Keep a look out! (Psssst! Did you see the movie??? Wasn't Harry so cute??? **_random interjection from Nancy_** BLACK SWEATSHIRT!!! ALMOST AS GOOD AS TOWEL!!!)

ZOE: so... we've heard alot of Manly Bed Duties and their possibilities.... And yes... tempers are much better now... well some of them anyway.

Pantherocker: Hmmmm... "So, try to get the next chapter up in about a month or sooner please! That would be nice. I would fall down and worship you." Well, I guess since it took us longer than a month you're excused from the falling down. But feel free to worship us just because we got this next chapter out... ;)   
  
Fanciful Sovereign: "Sounds like wizards are in need of some muggle devices (cell phones and internet access wouldn't hurt them!)" NANCY!!! Did you give her a copy of this next chapter??? I think you've been selling me out! Hmph... and here I thought I was the Co-Author on this thing... hmph. Just kidding! But I think you'll be amazed at how close you were for this next chapter!!

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Nancy was finding it very hard to be serious with Charlie interrupting every two minutes to sneeze, sniffle or just grumble about his blasted luck. She had to look away from the group to hide her grin when she caught his muttered threat to transfigure them all into giant snotballs if they didn't act a bit more sympathetic.

"I saw dat."

Damn, she'd been caught AND he was talking funny with all the congestion. It was so unfair. Fighting to keep a straight face, she looked back at his face – at the moment, it was very red and annoyed looking.

"What? I'm just listening to Bill!" she whispered, hoping to distract him into paying attention to someone else.

Charlie's arm snaked around her and before she could yelp for help she'd been yanked backwards onto the bed.

"Charlie."

Bill's lazy interjection made Charlie pause in mid-smother, giving Nancy just enough time to fight her way out from under the pillow and attack his stomach. She'd learned this morning that her dragon man was VERY ticklish and thought that it was high time she put that knowledge to use.

"Hey! Stob dat! Ah-ah-CHOO!" Charlie wriggled, trying to get away mid-sneeze, and finally managed to flip her over and pin her underneath him. "No fair, tickling the sick bloke."

Jenni and Bill exchanged an exasperated look.

"Listen, guys..." Jenni spoke carefully, "Maybe we should do this later? When you're feeling better, and..."

Charlie waved her off with a tissue. "No no, Nancy will behabe herself now. Won't you, Nancy?"

Nancy nodded as seriously as she could, considering she was smushed under Charlie and half of a pillow. "Since I can't breathe, I don't see how I can misbehave," she muttered.

Charlie grinned down at her, and her heart did a somersault in her chest. She still couldn't believe that he'd forgiven her so quickly. Not, she reminded herself, that she had DONE anything so wrong... it was just that things had been so strained, so uncomfortable for what felt like ages. As Jenni, Bill and Charlie settled back down to business, Nancy squirmed a little to get more comfortable, and let her mind drift back. He'd been himself ever since the two potions they'd poured into him had done their job and he'd woken up this morning on her watch with his blue eyes full of tears.

Of course, NOW she knew they'd been watering from the really awful cold that mixing those two medicinal potions had created, but at the time it had seemed so sweet and emotional. She'd been pacing back and forth beside the bed, and when he'd looked up at her with such obvious relief and caring, and those darn tears, she'd just thrown her earlier plan of quiet, restrained dignity out the window. Everything had come out – her fears about leading trouble to him, her worries about not being good enough to make him happy, even a begrudging admission that if he was really set on it, she guessed she could learn basic Romanian. That had been the point at which he'd gone into a sneezing fit – which she had thought at first that he was putting on to hide that he was laughing.

Once he'd reached ten in a row, though, she was shoving tissues at him and getting ready to run for Mrs. Weasley. The only problem had been his death grip on her arm – no amount of threats or cajoling had gotten him to let her go, and so she'd had to wait out the sneezing. As soon as he could talk again, he'd sent her over to his bureau to fish out a letter from a James Dorallen, welcoming him back to England and expressing the Ministry of Magic's delight to have such an experienced dragon expert working with them. That had shut her up. Charlie proceeded to take advantage of her stunned silence by first apologizing to her for his part in the standoff, and then he'd said...

"... and you were brilliant you know. I don't know if I could have handled it as well as you did. You can rescue me anytime."

Nancy was pulled out of her reminiscing by Charlie poking her in the side and whispering, "You alibe down dere?"

"Yeah, leave me alone. I'm comfy." And she was just getting to the really GOOD part of the morning. Well, first there had been some crying – ok, a LOT of crying on her part, along with some warnings that if he EVER let himself get hurt like that again, she might just have to deck him. But then... Nancy felt her face go hot just remembering the kiss that Charlie had stopped her tears with. About ten minutes into it, they'd managed to pull back for air and Nancy had remembered that there were about ten other people in the house who would probably want to know that Charlie was awake and OK. It had been another ten intense minutes after THAT when she'd managed to extricate herself from the VERY interesting position he'd maneuvered her into and head for the door. He'd stopped her with a huge sneeze and a quiet question...

"We're ok?"

"Yeah, we're ok." His face had lit up when she'd answered, and she had felt a huge weight lift out of her stomach. She'd blown him a kiss and headed out to rouse the Weasley army.

Nancy snuggled down into the mattress, sighing happily, and not minding a bit that the pillow over her head blocked out whatever Bill was going on about. It wasn't that she didn't want to be involved in the decision making; it was just that she'd had the night shift watching over Charlie and hadn't really gotten any sleep. And then he'd woken up, and she hadn't felt like sleeping. And now his hand had come back up to play with her hair as he listened to his brother, and it was really making her drowsy...

* * *

"So we all agree that we're looking for one person?"   
  
Jenni nodded her head and sighed, she heard irritation in Bill's voice as he directed that last question to the room. "Yes, Bill, I don't really think that there are TWO crazy Death Eaters who run apothecaries and want to kill us."

"Well, I just wanted to double check with you, since you seem determined to run into him so often," he ground out, obviously annoyed. Jenni sighed again under her breath. That would teach her to blurt out little details such as having seen her attacker from Nancy's apartment on Knockturn Alley just across the street from where Nancy and Charlie were attacked. Apparently she had left just before they arrived.

Really, the only logical explanation was that some Death Eater had decided to make Nancy a target – the attack on Nancy the night of the party, mistakenly getting Jenni at her apartment, and then the duel on Knockturn Alley all seemed far too related. The odd thing was... she had thought for sure that the creep had been headed away from that apothecary, and hadn't looked in any hurry to return. Still, who was she to know how a Death Eater thought?  
  
Jenni's musings were interrupted when she felt Bill place a book in her hand. "What's this?"  
  
Bill pulled out his wand and waited a moment before answering. "It's a way to get in touch with each other if we need anything. I threw them together last night." He glanced over at his brother's bed. "Charlie, maybe Nancy should hear this too."

Charlie shifted slightly and pulled the pillow off of Nancy's head. They all grinned when she let out a snore to wake the dead. He reached over to shake her awake, but Jenni's voice stopped him.

"Wait, let her sleep. She was up all night, you know... she's got to be exhausted. We can fill her in later."

"All night? Poor thing. What kind of shift setup is that?" Charlie muttered to them, shifting to gently rest Nancy's head on his chest.

"The kind she wanted," Bill answered defensively. "Fine, don't wake her. But you two had better pay attention so you can explain this to her."

Jenni noticed each of them had a book, Charlie holding both his and Nancy's. "So how does this work exactly? Some kind of broadcast charm? If one person writes a message everyone gets it?"  
  
"No, not exactly. Each book has a different password. You start each conversation or message by giving the password to the book you're contacting, and then you end it by repeating the password. It picks up your voice so you don't have to write your hand off. I tested it from across the room, not bad reception at all." Bill paused before continuing. "If anything happens it's faster than sending an owl."  
  
"But how do the receivers know they've got a message from you? It won't matter how fast it goes out if no one reads it..."  
  
Bill sighed. "I'm still working on that. Maybe I'll enlist the twins - they're damn creative."  
  
Jenni shrugged and flipped through her book. It looked ordinary enough, and the idea was good but her thoughts drifted back to the night of her attack. Yes, the idea was good but not fail proof. If anything like that happened again, she doubted there would be time even for this. With a shudder she closed the book and focused on something other than that night.  
  
Bill had been watching Jenni as she looked over the book he handed her. He noticed a distant look on her face as if she had been remembering some horrible memory. To say he had been a little upset to learn about her second close encounter with the Death Eater was an understatement, but his protectiveness won over his temper as he saw her attempt to regain her composure.   
  
"Are you ok?"  
  
Jenni saw the worry in Bill's eyes and bit back her own irritation that she still harbored over their previous argument. She was still upset over the fact that no one had bothered to tell her about Nancy's attack the night of the party but she had plans to ask about that later. Choosing to ignore the question, Jenni asked a question of her own.  
  
"Why now? Why is it suddenly so important for everyone to have these books?"  
  
She watched as Bill and Charlie shared a look. They were definitely up to something. How incredibly unfair that Nancy was snoring away and leaving her to deal with the two of them all by herself.  
  
"Bill and I talked at lunch. We're going to do some checking around and see what we can find on dis guy. I hab some time off before I start working wib de Ministry and Bill has a few days before he finds out about his transfer."  
  
Jenni felt her stomach lurch uncomfortably at the mention of Bill's pending transfer but was quickly dismissed as realization struck.   
  
"The two of you are NOT going around looking for some crazed maniac on Knockturn Alley."  
  
"Why not Jenni? You went." Bill's voice was sharp and accusing.  
  
"Fine, Nancy and I will go with you then." Jenni's voice was just as harsh and her gaze held Bill's daring him to challenge her.   
  
"Jenni, it's not dat we don't want help, but dis guy is abter Nancy."  
  
Charlie's soft voice caused Jenni to break eye contact with Bill and look over at her best friend sleeping peacefully against Charlie. She knew where he was going with this and he was right. Nancy was the one in trouble and Jenni was only letting her temper get the best of her. She sat quietly while Charlie continued with a sniffle.  
  
"I'm sure the two of you hab a lot of work to catch up on and wib these books we can let you know if we get into a spot of trouble."  
  
Jenni let out a sigh and leaned back in her chair, damning Charlie for being right again. The truth was she and Nancy were both going to be in pretty hot water for missing so much work lately.   
  
"Fine. But you're going to be the one to tell Nancy she's being left behind." Jenni noted with smug satisfaction that Charlie gulped. He knew as well as she did that if Nancy had been awake then Jenni's point would have been argued with more force and possibly would have had a different outcome. 

Jenni absentmindedly thumbed through the small book again as Charlie and Bill continued talking in low voices. Probably about where they were going to start looking for that creep WITHOUT her and Nancy, she thought angrily. Since they made no effort to include her in the conversation, she tried to distract herself by thinking of some simple charm that would work to let the intended receiver know there was a message in their book. Her mind drifted to the muggle invention of cell phones. There were settings that allowed the phones to vibrate without ringing loudly so as not to attract attention. Perhaps something on that line would be useful and the charms for that were relatively simple.

Let's see... alarmus? No, too loud. Lumos? Not if it's already light out, you'd never notice. How about... "Vibrato!"

Waving her wand, she whispered the charm, and the book started emitting a low hum and shaking forcefully. She looked up with a grin on her face and found Bill staring at her.

"How'd you do that?"

"Just an old potions charm – for when you needed the ingredients shaken, not stirred."

He shook his head ruefully. "Just don't tell me that Snape was responsible for that knowledge."

"You know, now that you mention it, I think it's something he and I discussed during the research for this article..." Jenni teased him, and then turned back to her book, trying to visualize the different spells it would take to enchant the books to react with the Vibrato charm.

A few minutes later, the first page of her book was filled with neat notes about triggers and links and she had a rough outline of how to make the books "ring." She turned the page and was starting on the combination of spells needed to send a message to two books at the same time when Bill's voice in her ear made her jump. He gently squeezed her shoulder as he spoke, "Maybe we should let them rest."

Jenni looked up, her eyes landing on Charlie who was fighting hard to stay awake. With a nod she gathered up all of the books and started to follow Bill out of the room, still lost in the magical communication possibilities.

Bill stopped just before he reached the door and turned around. In a mock serious tone he began to lecture Charlie. "You take it easy now. I don't want to come in here later and find another 'scuffle' like I did the other morning."

Charlie turned a deep shade of red, but was overcome by another fit of sneezing before he could reply indignantly. Bill grinned and tossed his brother a box of tissues. "Like I said, you shouldn't overdo anything."

* * *

Jenni followed Bill out of the room, still lost in thought, and collided with him as he turned to block the stairs. She looked up in surprise. "What is it?"

Bill thought over all that he wanted to say to her. He was still angry to learn how close a call she'd had with her ill-advised trip to Knockturn Alley, not to mention the fact that if she'd only trusted him with her hunch they could have saved Nancy and Charlie the trauma of the latest attack. Still, he knew full well that any discussion of that would wend its way back to his own withholding of information – she had a full right to know about the attack that night at the party, and he felt like a heel for not realizing that earlier.

"We need to talk, when you're done," he finally said softly.

That jolted Jenni out of her pleasant immersion in theory and diagrams. She was pretty certain that the conversation was only going to repeat what she already knew. He was sorry for not telling her sooner. This was for her own safety. But the fact was she had heard it all before and she was sick of it. Still, she supposed she owed him the chance to explain. "Ok, fine. When I'm done." That didn't mean she had to sound excited about it.

Bill bit back his own irritation. "Let's go downstairs." Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Jenni's hand to lead her down the staircase. Jenni followed, her knees slightly wobbly from the contact with him – what was it about him that just holding his hand could so totally distract her?

He led her into the living room and let her ensconce herself in an armchair and resume scribbling. Once she was fully occupied, he turned his attention to his own notes, scattered on the table in front of him.

Moments later, Bill looked up to see Hermione and waited for Harry and Ron to follow. The two boys didn't materialize and instead Hermione sat in a chair across from Bill and said, "I wanted to ask you about the curse used on Charlie." He nodded and picked up the pile of papers he'd been looking at, giving her the table.

Jenni got up suddenly and headed for the door. Hermione looked nervously at the two of them. "I'm sorry. I wasn't interrupting anything was I?"

Jenni shook her head with a grin, surprised to see Hermione in the room. She had really not been paying any attention. "Nope, not at all. I was just going to get something to drink. You two keep talking."

Bill sighed inwardly as he watched her walk off. The sound of a throat clearing reminded him that he wasn't alone, and Bill turned to see the bushy-haired girl that Ron was stuck on spreading her notes out all over the coffee table. He couldn't help smiling – he was finally going to see the legendary Hermione in action.

"Sorry, what about the curse did you want to know?"

She glanced up at him mid-notation. "Oh, didn't I tell you?" She glanced back down at the table and grabbed a sheet of paper covered in diagrams and Latin spells. "Here, this should explain it. I just need to finish this calculation."

Bill took the paper from her and scanned it quickly. His eyebrows rose as he caught some of the spells mentioned – these were hexes that stumped upper-level curse breakers. What was this fifteen-year-old girl doing, that she knew their effects on a moving live target? She hadn't even taken her OWLS yet. He glanced back at her, trying to fight the uneasy feeling that his brother was in way over his head, even if he did pick great friends. She caught his gaze expectantly.

"Am I right?"

Bill blinked. He wasn't used to being caught unawares, but he sure hadn't figured out where she was headed. He turned his attention back to the "how to" list of curses, and his gaze sharpened.

"Wait a minute..." he muttered, flipping the sheet over and examining her careful notes on the effects and various remedies of each curse. Every one of them caused some form of paralysis, but most of them required only a simple "finite incantatum" once the spell was identified. The rest wore off after only about an hour. They were the tricks of booby-traps and thieves, those who hoped to catch you alone and unprepared. Nancy and Charlie had been neither of those things.

"This is a very thorough list," he said slowly, "But none of them could have affected Charlie with the symptoms we saw." He stopped and looked at her with an eyebrow raised, feeling admittedly gratified when she flushed and looked nervous. This had been hard enough on his head-boy's ego as it was. "I'm guessing that you're here because you think that there's something new to add to it?"

Hermione nodded decisively. "Exactly. I've been calculating the combinations all night... it was easy enough to rule out these four," she reached across him and crossed off four of the more benign hexes. "The real problem came in finding the spell that would cause pain, slow down the petrification, and last indefinitely without outside help." She pointed rather proudly to the sheet she'd just finished working on. "I think it's got to be one of these two."

Bill's heart sank as he read the combinations – it was bad enough that such spells existed, and small comfort that they were so hard to master on their own that you rarely had to fear them. If the Death Eaters had found a way to effectively combine the unforgivables with other spells... He honestly hadn't thought that they had enough real brain power for such complex magic outside of their leader. Brute force, yes. Hatred, slime and evil, yes. But this sort of magical development and execution required skill, research and a level of understanding of the wand and its abilities that he wouldn't expect from more than one or two Hogwarts students a year.

Something was seriously wrong.

Realizing that Hermione was waiting for some sort of response from him, he said gruffly, "I can't argue with your logic. It would have to have been a Crucio meld, because the others... well, they wouldn't have worn off. Not with just a potion or two."

She nodded. "What I can't figure out, though, is HOW you would combine them. All of the effects make sense, the fact that we were able to revive him, but... it shouldn't be possible!"

Bill sighed and leaned back. It had been a while since he'd done purely theoretical magic – calculations on paper were of minimal use in a booby-trapped Egyptian tomb. Still, it wasn't something you forgot after four years of Arithmancy... and if he remembered right, Jenni had excelled in that class. "Can I borrow these?" She nodded reluctantly, prompting him to add, "Don't worry, if I make any progress I'll let you know."

He wasn't sure that he actually would – it depended on what he and Jenni figured out. There were some possibilities that he'd rather keep out of fifteen-year-old laps if he could.

* * *

Jenni hurried into the kitchen, hoping beyond hope that the Weasleys were as fond of fizzing pumpkin juice as she was – it was her favorite thinking food. She was still trying to resolve the problem of the signal that would connect the four books and trigger the "ring" so that the message could be conveyed. She'd been exploring the properties of two-way mirrors when the thirst had hit her. She was halfway across the kitchen when she noticed Ginny Weasley hiding under the table.

With a grin, Jenni pulled out a chair, bent down and said, "Either you're eating something you should be sharing or you're plotting something I'd love to help with, so come on out."

Ginny gave a sigh of relief. "Oh, it's just you. I thought you might have been Mum or George." She crawled out from under the large table and sat down next to Jenni, adding in a low voice, "He's been acting odd lately and I'm about to find out why."

Jenni's curiosity got the best of her. Any investigation worth hiding under a table for at 14 was going to be interesting. "How are you going to do that?"

"Well, first I've got to find their stash of extendable ears. I know they keep them around here so Mum won't find anything when she searches their room."

Jenni's confusion must have shown on her face because Ginny went off on a rather quick explanation as she jumped up and started rummaging about the kitchen.

"Extendable ears. Watch that door for possible intruders, will you? Anyway, they're one of the twins' better inventions. If you don't ask I won't tell and you won't have any incriminating evidence. It's really better that way."

Before Jenni could reply, Ginny turned around grinning triumphantly and holding two long fleshy looking strings in her hand. "Found them! Thanks for taking guard duty."

Ginny looked quickly out the door in both directions and then turned to Jenni with a wicked gleam in her eyes. "You want to see how these things work? Purely a fact-finding mission, of course."

"Of course," Jenni grinned and the two girls bounded up the stairs. As they reached a door that looked like it had been set on fire and badly repaired a number of times, Ginny put a finger to her lips. The youngest Weasley pulled several small items from her pockets and retreated further down the hallway. She carefully lined herself up for an easy lob to the door and then took her wand out and touched it to one of the small round devices. Jenni was so caught up in waiting to see what was going to happen that she almost didn't notice Ginny stop mid-throw and wave frantically in her direction.

"Jenni, get over here!"

As she moved behind the youngster, Jenni finally identified the little round balls. "Dungbombs?"

"It's to make sure the twins haven't placed any Imperturbable charms on their door." Ginny shrugged matter-of-factly and threw a dungbomb.

Several things happened all at once. A large ball of orange fur bolted out of nowhere catching the dungbomb mid air, the door to the twin's bedroom opened, and Ginny screamed "Crookshanks! NO!" as the large ball of fur landed in the arms of one of the twins and the dungbomb exploded.

Jenni could only stare as George, or maybe it was Fred, glared at the two of them. His face was now scorched to match the door, his hair was smoking with that special dungbomb stench, and the hissing cat in his arms was certainly not being gentle in its requests to be let down.

Ginny opened her mouth and tried to mutter an apology. "Fred, we... I... I mean, I just wanted to show Jenni how much Crookshanks liked to chase dungbombs."

Fred narrowed his eyes. Jenni held her breath, wondering if he would buy the excuse he'd been given. From downstairs, Hermione gave an anguished cry as her cat paraded into the living room to show off its new style. Pointing his finger at Ginny, he muttered, "Watch your back, little sister!" before heading down the stairs and tiptoeing past the living room.

Once Fred was safely down the stairs Jenni let out a sigh of relief then turned to Ginny. "This isn't going well, maybe we should..."

Ginny grinned. "Are you kidding? This is the easiest fact-finding mission of the summer! At least now I know to look out for him. I was half expecting him to hex me on the spot. Besides, now we can proceed."

"How do you figure that?"

"The door's not hexed! He definitely didn't have time to reset it before stomping downstairs." Taking the fleshy strings out of her pocket, Ginny slid one end under the twins' door and stuck the other end in her ear. Jenni took the other and did the same.

What they heard for the first few minutes was nothing more than the scratching of a pen and some muffled hooting. Then, George's voice sounded, loud and clear.

"Oh stop complaining, Pig. You'll be back to Ron by tonight. I just need your opinion on this – Errol's always asleep lately, and Merlin knows Hermes is off limits. Ok, you know the drill. Hoot once if it's a particularly good sentence, and twice if you think I should take it out."

Jenni looked over at Ginny who waved a hand at her, signaling total silence. They heard George take a deep breath and then the rustling of paper.

"Hey, Lils. Hope the little brother isn't bugging you too much. I can send you a fresh supply of warders if you need 'em, Fred and I have been working on these great little guys that are two picture frames. You put a picture of the person you want to keep out in one frame and hang it out in the hall, and then the other frame you put a list of whatever you want to be off limits to the person in the frame. You can put it in BEHIND something else... like, say, this nice shot of your favorite Gryffindor Beater."

Ginny rolled her eyes when Pig hooted once and George agreed, "It IS a great shot... very manly."

"Colin Creevy sent it to me in exchange for a pair of those frames... he's going to test how they work with muggle pictures for us! Anyway, sorry to talk shop to you. It's been a weird summer so far, but everyone's ok. Keep an eye out for... well, you were there for Dumbledore's speech. But first – I'm sending you a present! It's even purple! I thought you would think of me when you wear it... wink wink And don't worry, I didn't let Fred near it. I'm still really sorry about that carnivorous violet – I SWEAR it didn't have teeth when I bought it."

Jenni grinned at Ginny – so this was why George hadn't been insulted by the frilly apron. She had to give him points for creativity. His girl would probably get a kick out of it.

Pig had hooted four or five times after the last sentence, making George sigh. "But she still doesn't believe that it wasn't my idea... it can't hurt to drive that point home, can it? Oh bugger off, I'm gonna leave it." There was the sound of a quill scratching out what was sure to be more of the letter, and both girls strained to hear the next words.

"Ok, well, don't have too much fun without me. George."

"Ahem. And just WHAT would you two be up to?"

They spun around to face Bill, who had spoken, and Hermione, who was standing behind him with the scorched Crookshanks in her arms. Their quick answers of "Nothing!" did not seem to impress Bill in the least.

He reached over and plucked the tell tale fleshy string still hanging from Jenni's ear and waved it in front of their faces. "Are you sure it was nothing?"

Bill folded his arms and waited, as Hermione glared at them over the stinking, crispy critter that used to be her fluffy orange cat. They both knew they were busted. Ginny finally sighed and gave Jenni a you-deal-with-him look. "Hermione, let me explain about Crookshanks..." she started, as she drew the older girl down the stairs.

Not one for giving up in a time of trouble, Jenni searched for a plausible story that would sound better than the truth. She cringed inwardly as she imagined having to tell Bill she had been helping his innocent younger sister eavesdrop on one of his brothers. He continued to swing the extendable ears back and forth in front of her, waiting, as heat rose in her face and she lost precious seconds to indecision. When he raised an eyebrow, she gave up and muttered, "I just wanted some pumpkin juice, it's not my fault your entire family is possessed!"

Bill rolled his eyes. She was adorable when she got caught breaking the rules. Totally out of her element. He stuffed the extendable ears into his pocket and took her by the shoulders turning her towards the stairs up to his and Charlie's room. "I probably don't want to know, anyway. Let's go check on the invalid and sleeping beauty, ok?"

* * *

Nancy woke with a start from a pleasant dream about a peaceful snowfall outside of Hogwarts to the sound of loud cursing.

"Damn blasted twins, messing wib bloody tissue boxes!"

She opened her eyes to look around and blinked. Everything was white. Squinting, because her glasses were hidden somewhere under all of the whiteness, she reached out and plucked from the air a... SHEET?

"Why are there tissues everywhere, Charlie?"

His answer was a muffled "bugger off" and some banging on the floor. Clearing herself off, she spotted his legs and followed them over to the edge of the bed, where the rest of him was quite busy trying to staunch the explosion of white fluffy kleenex that was coming from under the bed. With a sigh, Nancy stuck her hand into the white mound where the night table should have been and located a wand.

"Don't tell me. There's a boggart under there, and the thing Charlie Weasley fears most is being buried alive in tissues."

That got a response – he popped up, red and ruffled and NOT amused in the slightest. Before he could ream her out, Nancy leaned over and kissed his cheek. Then she hopped off of the bed and knelt down to the spot he'd been investigating.

"Just stay there, sicko. You'd probably pronounce the spells wrong anyway."

Peering under the bed, she pointed the wand in the general direction of the wave of tissues and said, "Accio!" Moments later she was holding up a normal-looking box, currently hemorrhaging tissues that all seemed to be magically heading for Charlie.

"It took me foreber to get that to stay down there!" Charlie said, exasperation clear in his clogged voice. Ignoring him, Nancy studied the box for a moment, and then laid her wand along one side and murmured "Recommencio!" The box stopped shooting tissues into the air, and those that were attacking Charlie fell to the ground like limp, normal pieces of three-ply kleenex.

As the final tissues settled, Nancy looked over at Charlie triumphantly. "You must have said or done something to set off the trigger for the charm – classic prank hex. Lucky for you, I had a few too many of those go wrong on me in the planning stages and I came up with a spell to stop them – reset the trigger, as it were." She paused, noting that he didn't seem all that impressed. "I'll have you know that spell got me extra credit on my Charms NEWT!"

"Oh yes, how could I hab forgotten – I'm talking to the Charms QUEEN. Ron says that your picture is up on Flitwick's wall... teacher's pet."

"And the fact that McGonagall has at least five different shots of you winning games for Gryffindor in her office exempts you totally from that category, I assume."

"Well, she certainly didn't gib me better grades for it!"

The door opened and both Nancy and Charlie turned their glares to the intruders, who looked from one to the other before they started laughing.

"What HAPPENED in here?" Jenni gasped out, when she'd finally sunk down onto Bill's relatively tissue-free bed, holding her stomach from laughing so hard. Nancy rolled her eyes and started tossing piles of Kleenex at her friend.

"Basically, Charlie was stupid enough to fall for a prank tissue-box."

"Yeah, stupid me, thought I could just HAB a tissue," Charlie grumbled, blowing his nose.

"And I, of course, reset the trigger and was consequently accused of sucking up to teachers during school."

Jenni stopped tossing tissues back at Nancy and stared for a minute. "The trigger? Wait... didn't you have some charm you came up with that would set off a chain reaction when a word was spoken? Remember? It was your third year, right?" Her voice was edgy with excitement.

Nancy gave her a confused look. "You mean the one where Filch called Mrs. Norris and all of the doors in the hallway he was in would open or close? That was fourth year, I think."

"Yes, but how did you make sure it was just that hallway? And how did you connect the triggers so that it only happened when FILCH said her name?"

"Do you have something to write on?" Nancy asked, suddenly serious and focused. Bill and Charlie exchanged confused looks, but Jenni handed her the book she'd been scribbling in and flipped to a clean page. As Nancy sank to the floor, writing furiously, Jenni looked up to explain.

"This is the last thing I needed. With one of Nancy's triggers, we can hook the books together to work - activated by one of our voices saying the password, then the trigger will cause the other books to vibrate and hum, and you'll basically be able to see whatever is being said in a 10 or 15 foot radius of the activated book." She grinned triumphantly at Bill, who raised both eyebrows and then bent down to whisper softly in her ear.

"Very impressive. What other talents do you have that I don't know about yet?"

Jenni blushed, and was about to whisper something back at him when Nancy jumped up, brandishing the book. "Ok, so I corrected a few of your wandwork parts, but you've got this pretty well worked out already. Shall we give it a try?"

The actual enchantment didn't take long, but they argued over passwords, coming up with weirder and more elaborate and obscure ones with each permutation until Charlie interrupted.

"Listen, I don't see the point of picking a word that will just stick out and be hard to remember. I vote for something nice and easy, like Cheese Kanoodle." He grinned and set about inscribing his and Nancy's names on the inside covers of their now pocket-sized books. The rest of them stared at him. Jenni was the first to recover, jumping up when she heard a hard tapping at the window.

"No objections, Jenni, Bill? Cheese Kanoodle it is, then," Nancy said with a bemused shake of her head, watching Jenni walk the short distance and let the unfamiliar owl in. It dropped a small red envelope into her hand and flew straight back out the window in a flurry of feathers. Jenni hesitated just long enough to notice the return address stamped on the back of the bright red howler, and then hurriedly walked over to Nancy.

"You got an owl from work." Jenni shoved the letter at Nancy and backed off. 

Nancy's eyes widened and she flipped over the envelope. "Jenni..."

Jenni violently shook her head, now halfway across the room. She'd never liked howlers. "You know it's yours. I don't get howlers. EVER." 

"Well, that's true enough, but I think you should look at this. It's VERY CLEARLY addressed." Nancy stood up, smirking, and waved the envelope at Jenni.  
  
Jenni ducked around Charlie and positioned herself behind Bill. Nancy let out a frustrated huff and tossed the letter at Charlie. "Tell her it's not mine."  
  
Charlie raised an eyebrow at Nancy as he easily caught the envelope, but then he glanced at it and hurriedly passed it to Bill. "Nancy's right. It's not hers."

"Jenni, just open it." Bill turned to hand Jenni the letter but she had made her way back to the other side of the room. She'd been behind him only two seconds ago. Damn that girl was quick.   
  
Bill shrugged, calmly handing the howler back to Charlie. "She won't open it."  
  
"Well, I don't want it. Nancy, you work there. Open it."  
  
"But it's not mine!" Nancy stood glaring at the other three from where she'd caught the howler Charlie had thrown back at her.  
  
"Uh, it's starting to smoke..."  
  
"I KNOW it's smoking. It WOULDN'T be smoking if its OWNER had just opened it when it came!"   
  
The howler began to smoke more furiously and flap angrily against Nancy's balled up fist. 

"Nancy, maybe you should open it..."   
"Open the bloody letter, crazy woman!"  
"Nancy! Open the damn thing now, before... NOOO!"

Jenni broke off with a cry as Nancy threw the madly smoking howler directly at her. It sailed through the air, exploding in a fury of paper and sound just before it would have hit the hands she'd thrown in front of her face.   
  
"**JENNIFER FERGUSON!!**"  
  
Jenni sank to the floor as soon as her name sounded. Her first howler. EVER. And it had to be in front of Bill. Her face flushed to a deep crimson and she wanted nothing more than to run and hide.   
  
"... **NEVER MISSED A DAY OF WORK UNTIL NOW. FOUR WEEKS IN LESS THAN SIX MONTHS TIME. UNCALLED FOR. I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED THIS FROM OTHER EMPLOYEES**..." 

Nancy bridled at that, but Jenni couldn't hear her objections over the all-encompassing noise.  
  
"... **A DISGRACE TO THE PAPER**..."  
  
Jenni didn't even dare to look at Nancy. She was supposed to be setting an EXAMPLE for the younger witch.  
  
"... **DEADLINE APPROACHING AND NOTHING TO SHOW FOR IT**..."  
  
If only she could just disappear.  
  
"... **JOB AT STAKE IF YOU DON'T RETURN IMMEDIATELY!!**"

Jenni thought the silence following was worse then the howler itself. 

"And you said you never get howlers." Nancy grinned at her friend. "Sounds like our presences are required, or at least yours is. Maybe they just fired me."

As if in answer, another owl flew in the open window and dropped a second red envelope onto the floor.

"Dammit," Nancy said, going red-faced as Bill and Charlie laughed. In the next instant, Jenni had the envelope open.

"**NANCY GWIN!!**"

"Gee, thanks, Jenni..." Nancy groaned, digging through the piles of kleenex left on the floor for her shoes.

"... **BRAND NEW PROMOTION, WHAT HAPPENED TO RESPECT? EXCESSIVE AND SUSPICIOUS USE OF SICK DAYS. NO ARTICLES TO SHOW SINCE LAST MONTH**..."

"All right, all right, we get the point," Nancy muttered, gathering up the rest of her things, and grabbing her book from a grinning Charlie. "Time to go, Jenni." She fled the room, pursued by the ringing voice of her boss.

"... **REPORT IMMEDIATELY OR FIND ANOTHER JOB**..."

* * *

* * *

And now... please forgive us our bad bad bad posting history and review?? :)


	23. The Great London Earthquake

A/N – Hi. Well now you all know that my biggest problem in life is procrastination. ;) A quick announcement, though before we get to the bit of story I have for you. Jenni and I just haven't been able to write this together like we used to (that being at 3 am on IM and on massive sugar highs) but this weekend (oddly enough) we BOTH reread the story and decided separately to do something about continuing it! This piece was something we'd started right after 22 and never finished, so I finished it off and sent it to Jenni just as she got in touch to tell me she wanted to start writing again!

Anyway, my sister (ennuieaf for those of you looking for a good serious HP story that's DONE) has volunteered to crack the whip over us and make us actually post in some semblance of regularity. So this is dedicated to Jenni, for all the fun past and future, and to Carrie for telling me that ANY time is a good time to write Weasleys, and to Starr8. (see below)

Enjoy!

* * *

Nancy glanced up blearily as the door to her office opened, offering Jenni a weak smile as she came in with two mugs of steaming... something.

"Come on, it's not that bad. At least we're not going to lose our jobs," Jenni said in what Nancy privately thought was far too cheerful a voice.

"Oh really? Is that why they called you to a meeting without me? They're probably just afraid to fire me in front of you."

Jenni grimaced sympathetically and plopped one of the mugs on top of the nearly finished Snape article that Nancy was editing for grammar. "Yes, well, it was a bit uncomfortable, but nothing so dire as all that. Here. Drink up and I'll tell you our fates."

Leaning down to sniff suspiciously at the mug, Nancy was surprised to see the vile-colored, bubbling potion smelled like...

"CHOCOLATE? Oh Jenni, you're the best. This'll keep me going through morning."

Jenni grinned, sidling around the desk to see how far her partner had gotten. She'd promised her editor in the afternoon meeting that this would be ready for the Hogwarts edition paper they were laying out tomorrow first thing in the morning. Leaning over Nancy's shoulder she scanned for the obvious errors, the ones they couldn't afford on this full-page spread.

"Wait, Nancy, which tense was-"

"Hey! Back away from the work in progress." Nancy set her chocolate down long enough to swat her friend back a few steps. "TALK! I have chocolate to drink."

Rolling her eyes, but knowing that Nancy really was very good at the details, Jenni retreated to a cushy chair in the corner to sip at her cocoa. "Fine. Basically, they're putting our partnership on hold."

Nancy choked as she swallowed the hot liquid much too fast. Once she'd finished coughing up a lung, she sputtered out, "On hold? You mean..."

"We still have our jobs, you're still a full reporter, but they're concerned that we're... a bad influence on each other." With a sigh, Jenni drained her mug and set it down on the floor. "I've been reassigned to the ministry beat until further notice – don't get jealous, they're just sending me to take notes on meetings that no one else will attend."

Silence fell for as Nancy doodled idly with her editing pencil, drawing little red skulls and sad faces that rolled around the page before she could finish them.

"And, me? I suppose if they're giving YOU such a lousy assignment, I'm the new Daily Prophet janitor."

Their eyes met for a moment, and then Jenni sighed and looked down. "I don't know, exactly. As soon as we turn in the Snape thing, you're supposed to meet with Mac to discuss it."

Nancy groaned. Mac was a good editor, not willing to just publish whatever would sell newspapers, and so had been assigned to oversee those reporters who dealt in facts and well documented exposés. He was also an 80-year-old warlock with a Scottish temper and a tendency to make his reporters earn every bit of his respect. She had a feeling he wouldn't be happy to see her.

"Right well, I'd prefer to get this over with, then." Turning back to her work with a final gulp of chocolate, a few seconds passed before Nancy realized that Jenni was hovering uncertainly in the door. "Just go get some sleep, Jenni. You probably have a bloody ministry meeting at 6 am or something."

Jenni still hesitated, "5:30 actually, but... are you sure you don't need me?"

Not bothering to dignify that with an answer, Nancy pointed her red pencil to the door and got back to checking their article.

Rolling her eyes, Jenni gave in and headed back to her own office. That had gone... rather well, all things considered. Poor Nancy hadn't been out of the building all day. Jenni had the sneaking suspicion that her best friend was planning to sleep in the office and just use her quite superior shower charm in the staff bathroom tomorrow morning. But that, at least, was normal behavior from her admittedly nocturnal and perfectionist friend. And Mac had PROMISED her that he wasn't going to fire Nancy tomorrow. He'd said nothing about the following day, but if Nancy had one clear talent it was getting herself out of trouble with authority. Jenni wasn't especially worried as long as his mind wasn't already made up.

She automatically started neatening up her desk, filing away the Snape notes now that the research and initial writing were done, and her eyes fell on the unassuming little book that Bill had given her. She was reluctant to use it, seeing as they'd created them for emergencies. Still, she wondered how Bill was going to let her know where to meet him for lunch tomorrow. She opened the blank book slowly and drew a breath, ready to say the password, when she realized that he was probably already asleep. He'd just have to get in touch with HER, she thought, closing the book and shoving it into her bag.

"Nox."

It was home time. After all, she had a meeting to attend in... oh dear lord, four hours.

* * *

Bill had been working all night on the spell combinations that Hermione Granger had put together, most of the time by himself in the living room. Charlie wasn't home yet, having been called to report at the Ministry earlier than expected. Apparently some of the filing cabinets in the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures had gotten into a fight over the weekend, and one from the Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau had suffered almost total shredding. James Dorallan, head of the department, was "beside himself," having discovered an entire office full of Iunfiled/I paper on top of this disaster, and he had wanted his new head of Dragon R+R to come in immediately and make sense of the carnage. Percy had looked disapproving at the news that they were trusting Charlie with such important paperwork, but restrained himself to a few dark pronouncements along the lines of, "What this Ministry is coming to... not even full NEWTS!" until their mother finally glared him into silence.

Shaking his head at the memory of Percy trying to lecture Charlie, Bill shoved aside the pages of careful notes. He had to clear his head, he was stuck on the same circle of ideas. Crucio, slow-moving Petrificus, spell-melding that was so advanced that he'd only bet on Dumbledore or McGonagall's abilities to reproduce or deconstruct it.

But he didn't need to know how to CAST the spell, just how to defend against it, he reminded himself on a sigh. Bill got up to stretch his legs, grinning at the various family photos that were vying for his attention on the wall. In the sea of red heads, he spotted Dumbledore's long white beard – that must be his graduation picture! Bill stepped closer, it had been a while since he'd seen this one. Amazing how much older Professor McGonagall seemed now, though Snape had always had that yellowed, greasy snarl of a face. And there he was with the Head Girl that year, Alexis Parsons.

His younger self was waving his top marks in DADA and Transfiguration for all to see, he noted ruefully, while the more reserved Alexis had hers tucked away in her robes. What had she gotten her best marks in? As if in answer to his unspoken question, she bent down to quickly give Professor Flitwick a hug and smile as he pumped her hand up and down. THAT's right, the Ravenclaw had been a Charms fanatic. She'd always had a talent for creating unique spells that made Flitwick do backflips in excitement. His pulse increased slightly as he looked back at the notes full of dark and darker hexes – Alexis Parsons! Now there was someone who might be able to visualize the blending of spells. Where on earth had she gone after graduation?

Just then, the chimes sounded, reminding him that it was already 1 am. Dammit, and he'd promised to be in touch with Jenni about lunch tomorrow. Bill pulled a clean sheet out and made two notes in large writing.

1. OWL JENNI. Leaky Cauldron for Lunch?

2. Find Alexis Parsons – Flitwick? Mum?

He'd have to track Charlie down later tomorrow. Poor guy needed a clear head right now. The Ministry had no idea what they were getting into, he thought with a grin as he headed up the stairs to bed.

* * *

Nancy looked up as the little desk clock chided her weakly – "Dear, really, it's far past MY bedtime, never mind yours. But I don't suppose you're going home, are you?" There had been a time when it would sternly order her out of the office, but after innumerable all-nighters of perfecting the layout and grammar of their articles, the poor thing seemed to be resigned.

Lord, her back was killing her. Maybe she could talk Charlie into a backrub tonight, if he ever got back to her. She glanced over at her owl post box; it was empty, just like it had been for the last 15 hours. She would have thought that he'd have been intrigued enough to at least REPLY to her message.

The chocolate Jenni had brought in, mixed with a fair amount of nerves and adrenaline, had carried her through most of the night, but Nancy could feel herself starting to drag. With a sigh, she started to skim the article one last time, but when she had tried three different ways of spelling "supersonic" she shoved the papers away and tossed her quill back into the desk drawer.

With the ease of long practice, Nancy activated the privacy charms on the office door and charmed shut the shades on her window before balling up her robes and curling up in a fetal position on her chair. She reasoned she'd probably get an hour or two of sleep before she had to hand in the article and do a shower charm in the women's toilet. Her little desk clock was still quite good at announcing when it was time to get UP.

* * *

Charlie _hated_ paperwork. He hated it with a fiery passion that knew no bounds, which did not bode well for the stacks and stacks of unfiled reports of dragon sightings, bites, and illegal breeding that currently occupied the entire room that was to become his office.

When the Ministry had told him that they'd only had someone in "part time" to deal with the Dragon Research and Restraint Bureau, they hadn't bothered to say that the entirety of their duties had been moving paper from the postbox on the door to the various stacks in the office once a week.

The shredded papers from the filing cabinet fiasco were in a bin just outside the office; he'd sifted through them until he noticed that all the dates he was finding were 1950 or earlier. He'd been in here ever since, and had eventually determined that the stacks were vaguely organized by complaint, with the more serious ones closer to the door. One or two of his own notes to the Ministry officially explaining findings of one sort or another were still in the "to be stacked" bin directly to the left of the doorway, along with the burnt remains of some howlers and far too many unopened envelopes. The only consolation was that the single window on the back wall of the dingy room was still letting in a fair amount of sunlight. He wanted to be sure to get out of this mess with enough time to prepare for tomorrow's big meeting with Dorallen, the head of the department.

His stomach let out an annoyed growl, reminding him that he hadn't eaten since lunch. He really would have to get some kind of clock, but for now he guessed it must be about dinner time. Pulling out the little red book that was in pocket of his robes, Charlie decided now was as good a time as ever for a test run. And maybe Nancy was still working.

"Cheese Kanoodle," he said firmly, sitting down with his back to his office door. Having activated the charm, he checked the hastily written directions Jenni had given them and said "Green" to specify that it was Nancy he wanted to contact. He opened to the first blank page and watched it shimmer before the words:

_**Green (Nancy) contacted. Speak when ready, Red (Charlie).**_

appeared at the top of the page.

"Er, hi." Charlie watched as the words appeared in his handwriting below the instructions. It felt a bit more awkward to be talking to a book than he'd expected. "Right, no emergency, I just thought it was about time for some food and thought you might be working late too."

* * *

Nancy woke up in a panic. Her chair was vibrating as though London was in the middle of its first major earthquake in... ever. Wiping the sleep from her eyes, she grabbed hold of her desk and tried to remember just what one was supposed to DO in the event of an earthquake, when she realized that her chair was the only thing in the room that was shaking.

"Dammit, Jenni, that is NOT funny..." she muttered, unfolding herself and fishing her wand out of her desk drawer. How could her friend have pranked her chair when she KNEW that Nancy had a really serious meeting in the morning and would probably be sleeping in her office? It really wasn't like Jenni.

"Finite Incantatum." Nothing happened. The shaking continued, and Nancy growled in frustration. It had to be 4:30 in the morning, this was NOT what she wanted to be doing right now. In frustration, she grabbed her robes, intent on sleeping somewhere ELSE in her office and dealing with the chair later, only to discover that the robes themselves were the source of the problem.

She stared at them, shaking back and forth in her hand, before it dawned on her what could be happening. _The BOOK._ Oh no, what if something had happened while she'd been holed up in her office...

Frantically digging around for the little green book, Nancy shoved her glasses onto her face and flipped past her notes on the trigger charm to the first blank page, where instructions had appeared.

_**You are being contacted by Red (Charlie). To accept, say password.**_

"Cheese Kanoodle!"

Nancy held her breath as Charlie's messy scrawl began to fill up the page. As she skimmed for news of injury, death, or other terrible things, her eyes caught the words "no emergency" and her heart rate slowed back to normal. Then she thumped the book down onto her desk in annoyance.

"Why in bloody hell did he wake me up if there wasn't an emergency?"

* * *

Charlie knew he was rambling, but he figured the only way he'd get Nancy's attention away from her work was to keep the book "ringing" for a while. He'd just finished explaining his theory that the papers in the room were a plot by his younger brother to teach him respect for the ways of the ministry when his book jumped in his hands.

Relieved that he could stop talking, he looked down to see what Nancy's response was.

**_Why in bloody hell did he wake me up if there wasn't an emergency?_**

"Wake you up? It's still sunny out!"

When that didn't get an immediate response, Charlie stood up and opened his office door, intent on asking the next ministry employee he saw what time it was. The windowless corridor was deserted, and all of the doors were closed. He peered into one of the reception desks at the little desk clock, which sputtered indignantly at him and said, "Don't you have better things to do in the middle of the night than to bother me? Go home!"

He stared at it for a few seconds before remembering a story his father had told him about the _enchanted_ windows and how the magical maintenance crews controlled the weather since... Charlie wiped a hand across his face in embarrassment. Since the ministry was _underground_.

"Sorry," he muttered in the general direction of the still live book. "Apparently I'm a complete idiot. Go back to sleep, Nancy."

He had to get home – he and Bill were supposed to meet to talk about their plans to look around for more info on the dark wizard harassing Nancy. Damn, Bill had probably given up on him tonight and gone to bed. As Charlie started back to his office to collect his bag, the book jumped again in his hand, indicating a response. He flipped it open, just to check.

**_Godammit, Charlie, stop using the book! Fine. FINE. I'm reading, all right? No, I don't really feel like getting something to eat JUST now, although I did owl you about tomorrow... and, aww, have you been at work this whole time too? No wonder you didn't see it – I sent it to your house. Now good NIGHT._**

With a sigh, he stuffed the book into his bag. "Bloody enchanted windows."

Charlie shot one last glare at the sunlight still streaming in his and pulled the door shut, heading for an apparition point. He was surprised when his book vibrated a few seconds later. Glancing down at it, he saw his last three words written out and then below a polite message from the communication charm.

_**Green (Nancy) is laughing.**_

Giving a tired grin, Charlie reasoned that at least she wasn't mad at being awoken anymore. Then he muttered the password again, ending the conversation and heading home.

* * *

A/N Ok, so this little bit is dedicated to the crazy people who still haven't given up on this story, despite an extended hiatus when both authors have acquired lives so busy they sometimes forget to tie their own shoes. And specifically the REVIEWERS!

Starr8 – I got this review in email form last week and felt UNBELIEVEABLY guilty. :) So congrats, you officially embarrassed me into putting together a little something that would let people know that the story WILL go on. And much more regularly.

Psiana – Aww, not their muse, just their late night writing sessions. The stinky part of "growing up" I guess.

Dumblepoo – well, I guess we didn't really come through for you, there. But still, thanks for the compliments and I will try and do better.

Fancifulsovereign – A bit of seer indeed. Hope you enjoy!

Shahrezad1 – it's always good when our funny bits actually read as funny to other people. So much of this story has been written in hilarious back and forths on IM... sometimes we wonder if it's funny to anyone else. ;)

Louisa! (huggles) Long time no see! No Harry-in-towel this chapter, but never fear! He will return!

Copperstring – good to see you! I'm glad you're still around.

Kirjava2 – most of it has been two of us, yeah. Pretty much we'll plan the plot out together and then each take whichever scenes appeal. At first we definitely were each writing "ourselves" but we've switched back and forth a lot.

Littlewolf – HI! I should check and see if your story made it back up. Hope you enjoyed!

El – yeah. Not to the kissy kissy yet, but I'm TRYING. And plot-wise, well, you've been enlisted to help with that. (this is my sister ennuieaf whose hp stories ROCK and are finished, an unheard of combination.)

Zoe – yo. We are doing all we can to ensure that the jobs are saved. Poor adulty hp denizens.

Tigger-180, Hannah C Thaw – Thanks for reviewing. Come back again!

All you people who read this and DON'T review... well that's just counter productive. I promise to do better at posting if you do better at reviewing. Ok? Ok. It's a deal. ;)


	24. The pink, fluffy ball of adorableness

**A/N – A few years later, and we're determined to finish this off. (What can we say? We're awfully fond of this story.) Enjoy, review, etc.**

Nancy swirled her butterbeer around in her glass, wishing she'd ordered something a bit stronger as she waited for Charlie to meet her. They'd settled on Madame Beaugarten's for lunch, a nice little pub about equidistant from the Daily Prophet's offices and the Ministry for Magic that was always packed with London witches and wizards on their breaks.

Since she'd slept at the office the night before, Nancy hadn't wanted to wait for the end of the day to talk over her meeting with Mac. She was officially filling the vacant spot in the "Crime" section that tracked missing people. It seemed a bit trivial, considering the whispers in the hallways, but Mac had looked her in the eyes and, somewhat to her surprise, told her she was a good reporter and he wanted her there. And then he'd firmly reminded her to never miss a deadline again.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, she sighed. He was 15 minutes late. She should probably do a story on that…

Normally she'd have tracked Jenni down first thing, but her best friend was pounding the pavement at the Ministry for Magic all day today on HER new beat, and the last thing Nancy wanted was to screw that up by interrupting with her own news.

She took another gulp and picked up the lunch special menu to watch the illustrated fish and chips do battle with the shepherd's pie mashed potato topping for top billing, and nearly jumped out of her chair when a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Just checking to see if you had decided on your order," said the waitress, Mina, who'd been timing her stops about 5 minutes apart.

"Er, I guess I'll go ahead and order," Nancy said, smirking as the outline of a breaded fish filet stopped jumping in the defeated mashed potatoes to listen to her decision. "Let me have the–"

"Spaghetti and meatballs, two orders, with extra cheese," Charlie interrupted, sliding into the chair opposite hers with a rueful grin that chased away any remaining crankiness. "It's the best thing in this place."

Mina dimpled at him and left without waiting for confirmation from Nancy, who raised a disapproving eyebrow, but was completely unable to hide the twinkle in her brown eyes. It wasn't her fault that he could be rather irresistible when he put his mind to it.

"Bold move, Dragon Boy."

"Ouch, I've been downgraded," he said, his grin widening before her laugh reminded him why they were meeting for lunch at all. He winced and stammered, "I mean, that is, ummm… how was your meeting?"

Nancy smiled and shook her head. "Not so bad, more of a lateral move than anything else, I guess. At least that's what I'm telling myself."

Mina reappeared with their food in record time, but somehow managed to put it all in front of Charlie and not refill Nancy's butterbeer before disappearing.

"I appear to have a fan," he said with a groan, pushing her plate across the table and pouring half his drink into her mug. "So come on, tell me."

"I'm on missing persons," she said, digging into her food. "Damn, you were right. This is delicious."

Charlie paused with his fork halfway to his mouth and watched her dig into the big bowl of pasta. She went at her food with gusto, just like she jumped into each part of her life. He set the fork back down without tasting anything, mulling over the assignment she'd been given.

"Is that all work you do from the office? No side trips or investigations?" he asked hopefully. There was, after all, a dark wizard hunting her. His blue eyes narrowed as he tried to figure out why she was able to forget that so often. It had been on his mind constantly since the party.

She looked up, caught with her mouth full. "Uhh, no, not necessarily. I mean, no overnight trips, but Mac knows I'm first class in apparition so that's not really an issue. I'd be following up on reports to the ministry of missing loved ones, interviewing the families, you know?"

Charlie thought back to the conversation he'd had with his father after the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and the scary things he'd lived through just in the past few weeks since applying for his transfer from Romania. One of the things they'd talked about was a ministry official who'd disappeared in Albania and wound up fueling You-Know-Who's return with her life.

He took a deep breath. "And you'll be doing this alone?"

"Well, yeah. They broke up the Jenni Ferguson, Nancy Gwin tandem," she said with a sad smile. "Normally you don't get to work in pairs as a reporter." She peered at him over her butterbeer, trying to follow his line of questioning. "It's not like it's dangerous stuff, just profiles to help raise awareness. This beat has existed since the dawn of newspapers – witches and wizards have a bad habit of wandering off. And since our ministry's not quite as bureaucratic as the muggle police force, close, but not quite, a lot of people turn to the _Daily Prophet_ when that happens."

Setting her mug down, she waited for him to start eating and relax. When he continued to play with his fork and stare worriedly across the table, she sighed and put her own fork back into her now half-empty bowl.

"You might as well tell me what's on your mind. You're obviously not going to be able to eat until you say it," she said, trying to smile encouragingly.

Charlie could hear his father's words echo in his head - _Just be careful who you talk to, you really don't know where people stand right now._ This wasn't a conversation he could have here. And it wasn't something that he could explain all that coherently. He had come back because his family firmly believed Harry Potter – most of them had been there – and Charlie Weasley would do anything for his family. But Nancy was going to want more than familial loyalty to go on. He'd need Bill's help.

Nancy's hand reached out and covered his where it sat on the table.

"I mean it, I'll listen. I can be very logical, I swear," she said with only a hint of humor.

"I… what are you doing tonight?" he asked abruptly.

She blinked. "I'm going home to celebrate not getting fired, I guess."

"No, don't do that," he said quickly. Her apartment still gave him a sick feeling, just knowing that Jenni had been attacked there… "What about, let's meet up with Jenni and Bill. The four of us."

Nancy had never seen him so intensely serious. "Ok, we can do that. But not at my place?"

As they stared at each other across the table, Nancy's bag started to shake at her feet.

"Damn! That vibrato charm scares me every time," she grumbled, reaching into her sac to pull out the small green book. "Cheese Kanoodles."

The message was from Jenni:_ I need to vent to someone. You going to be off work at a normal hour? Don't tell me about the meeting! Let's do that face to face. My place! It's cleaner and creep-free._

She smiled and looked back up at Charlie. "How do you feel about puffskeins?"

* * *

A few hours later, Jenni sat in her oversized chair and tucked her feet underneath her. She giggled as she watched Nancy and Charlie fight over a proper nickname for the ball of fluff she'd christened Charlotte. Nancy had shown up first, and filled Jenni in on her odd lunchtime conversation. Jenni was relieved that her friend hadn't gotten demoted, and puzzled by Charlie's insistence on a sit-down conversation with the four of them.

"Really, I still think a better name would be Lottie," Charlie said. He'd been mum on the real topic of the evening since arriving, preferring to wait for Bill. "You can't name a female _anything_ with the name of Charlie. It's not… natural."

"And what's wrong with Charlie?" Nancy asked, fighting the urge to laugh as Charlotte's long pink tongue tried to discover Charlie's inner ear. "I for one happen to like the name. It shouldn't affect YOUR manliness at all to share a name with a fluffy, pink ball of adorableness."

Jenni let her thoughts drift as Nancy and Charlie argued playfully. The reporter in her was fighting the urge to grab her quill and parchment. She knew this was something important since Bill and Charlie had both warned the girls today that the conversation would be off the record, completely.

Jenni was broken out of her thoughts when Nancy tossed Charlotte onto her lap, "So when is Bill supposed to get here?"

Charlie shrugged. He wasn't sure why Bill was running late but he reassured Nancy and Jenni nonetheless, "He said he would be here. I'm sure he's on his way."

No sooner had Charlie spoken when the door opened. "Sorry, there was a bit of an issue at Gringotts. New assignments and a new hire."

Jenni smiled as Bill leaned forward to kiss her on her cheek. "And I have some good news," he whispered. Her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red as she realized Nancy had heard him and was grinning at her. Nancy's grin became wider as Bill tried to squeeze himself next to Jenni in her oversized chair.

"So, now that we're all here," Jenni started to say. "Let's –"

"I want to hear Bill's good news first," Nancy smiled innocently.

One of Charlie's eyebrows shot up; his hearing was obviously not as advanced as her best friend's. "What's this about good news?"

"Well, since the two of you are so nosy and you're going to find out anyway…" Bill tried to look annoyed but failed. "As you heard there was a new hire at Gringotts and new assignments. So, the new hire is Fleur Delacour and..."

"Hey, isn't she that veela from the Triwizard Tournament?" Charlie interrupted. "I remember Fred and George mentioning how she wanted to '_eemprove er eeenglish'._"

Bill shifted uncomfortably as Jenni gave him an unreadable look, "Yes, that's her. Anyway, my new assignment is to work with her."

"Your new job is to help a veela speak better English?" Jenni fought to keep her voice even and her instant spurt of jealousy in check.

"No, no, her English is good already, and she's only part veela," Bill began, unaware of Jenni's obvious discomfort.

"Oh," Charlie laughed, "have you already been giving her private lessons then?" Charlie winced as Nancy's elbow caught him hard in the ribs.

"Anyway," Nancy spoke loudly, "I'm sure that's not the good news you wanted to share with Jenni _is it_?"

"No it isn't" Bill grinned. "The good news is my assignment also involves me staying here."

Jenni wasn't sure how it was possible, but her heart leapt and dropped at the same time. She forced a smile as she tried to sort through the thoughts of Bill and some _veela _working in close proximity that ran through her head. She was sure she understood what Charlie's taunts of private lessons had meant and she didn't like it too much.

Just as she was about to reach a boiling point and give vent to her confused feelings, a very loud hum broke her out of her thoughts. All eyes turned towards her and Bill. It wasn't until she looked at Bill and realized the humming noise was coming from him and getting louder, a lot louder. Finally a long pink tongue snaked out of the small ball of fluff being bounced in the air by Bill causing him to almost drop Charlotte.

Jenni grinned as Nancy brought out a pitcher of pumpkin juice and whispered to Jenni but loud enough for Charlie and Bill to hear as well, "Apparently he charms more than just veela!"

Bill turned a furious shade of red as Charlie roared with laughter. Even Jenni couldn't help laughing. It seemed as if Nancy had spoken the truth. Charlotte was quite taken with Bill. Her pink tongue kept snaking out toward the forbidden territory of Bill's nose and ears.

Bill hurriedly passed the puffskein to Jenni, and leaned over to Charlie, "I thought you told them."

Charlie shook his head, "No, I only told them there were some details that needed to be shared and since you have more firsthand experience in the matter, I thought it would be best if you were here to explain everything. I'm looking forward to the full story myself."

Their quiet, serious voices cut through the happier noises that Charlotte, Nancy and Jenni were making, and a sense of foreboding settled over the two women.

"Just what are we talking about tonight, anyway?" Nancy asked. "This sounds bigger than promotions and assignment changes."

Bill took a deep breath, and said, "Just what do you two know about Harry Potter?"

"Harry? The boy who lived? I mean, he's famous, of course. He's in the paper a lot, not sure if it's always fair, but he's newsworthy." She looked between Bill and Charlie. "And of course, we met him this summer. At the Burrow. He's a nice kid."

"I'd better start from the beginning," Bill said, and started explaining how the Weasleys had gotten to know Harry, on up to the Tri-Wizard tournament last year, and the terrifying, disastrous ending that was still shrouded in some secrecy.

As his story wound down, Jenni tried to absorb what Bill had just told them about Harry and Ron's fourth year at Hogwarts. She remembered Charlie mentioning briefly once before that his family members were involved with the happenings involving Harry and the rumors of You Know who. There were so many things being thrown at her and Nancy all at once – Sirius Black was not the murderer they thought him to be, Peter Pettigrew was still alive, unregistered animagus existed and of course Harry's declaration that he had seen You Know Who come back.

Jenni jerked her head up when she heard Bill mention a meeting with the order. "What's the order?"

Bill's face grew even more somber as he gazed at Jenni, "It was formed by Dumbledore the first time You Know Who began to grow in power. The Order of the Phoenix."

Nancy's eyes grew big, "How did you find out about it? Who's in it? Is it still around?"

"You have to understand that there are certain things I won't be able to tell you about the order. Not because I don't want to," Bill added quickly noticing Jenni's stern look. "There were a lot of things Dumbledore made sure members couldn't inadvertently let slip."

Jenni caught Nancy's eyes briefly before turning back to Bill. "You're a member."

Bill sighed. It was a statement more than a question but he nodded to Jenni, "Yes, I'm a member. I have connections with the goblins that could be useful."

Both women turned their eyes to Charlie. "I'm not exactly a member," he said, answering the obvious question. "Think of me as in training."

"So then you believe Harry," Nancy asked with a slight tremble in her voice. "You believe him when he said he saw Y-y-you Know Who?"

Charlie and Bill both nodded. It seemed as if a chill had drifted into the small apartment. Even Charlotte stopped humming and burrowed deeper into Jenni's hair as if to escape the evil that was being discussed.

"Which brings us to our next topic," Charlie looked meaningfully at Nancy. "The two of you aren't safe. Especially you Nancy."

Jenni nodded, "He's right. Nancy, your apartment is an area that's been targeted already."

"That's all well and good, but where am I supposed to go?" Nancy asked defensively, feeling a bit singled out, and unsure of what they expected her to do.

"I mean," Charlie glanced at Bill, "There's always room for one more at the Burrow."

Nancy shook her head quickly. "Are you crazy? You think we could live together? We just started TALKING to each other again."

"What if you moved in with me?" Jenni asked timidly. "We were talking about needing to save money, and it would be great to not come home to an empty place?"

"That would make me feel better, too," Bill said, speaking up as Charlie was clearly still trying to process Nancy's last comment, well-reasoned though it had been.

Nancy shrugged, "I don't know, all my things…"

"Please?" Jenni gave a pleading look.

Nancy sighed, she never could refuse Jenni. "OK. Fine, but I still have to pack everything up."

After several more minutes of discussing the move (Charlie was to escort Jenni and Nancy home after work to pack this week) and emptying Jenni's stash of cheese kanoodles, pumpkin juice, and double stuffed oreo cookies, Bill and Charlie agreed that Molly would send out a search party if they didn't return home soon.

Nancy and Charlie headed to the kitchen to clean up. When she set down the bags she'd carried in to throw away, Charlie pulled her into a bear hug.

"Thank you."

"Mmmmf." Nancy turned her head so she could speak clearly and not directly into his chest. "What for?"

His arms tightened around her. "I know it can be very hard to accept nice, rational ideas that make you safe."

Jenni stood up after a moment, and Bill followed her to the door. She turned around quickly and without thinking pulled Bill toward her for a deep and meaningful kiss. He pulled back slightly dazed. "What was that for?"

Jenni innocently shrugged, "I thought you might need something to think about when you're all alone with your veela."

Bill chuckled, "Haven't you learned yet. No veela could compare to you."

Before Jenni could respond, he pulled her even closer. His lips met hers as one hand found its way into her hair, the other arm around her back keeping her pressed close. As they kissed Jenni felt goose bumps everywhere Bill's hand touched her. She was trembling so hard was sure Bill had noticed it too. He pulled back and began to turn red. As he pulled away, Jenni noticed Charlotte had found her way to Bill's shoulder and was once again humming loudly.

Nancy's laughter broke through the silence, as she stepped out of Charlie's arms. "Jenni, if I didn't know any better I'd say Charlotte was a cat instead of a puffskein. I swear she's purring. It might not be the veela you have to worry about!"


End file.
